Winkl: Discover trails, chapels and nature

Nature trails, culture and seasonal activities give a stay in Winkl a variety of highlights. The Gößnitzfall–Kachlmoor nature trail starts at the Retschitzbrücke car park in Winkl; the Kräuterwand walking trail runs along the village district. The Briccius Chapel and the crafts at Sturm-Archehof offer a different perspective. When planning your holiday, this means you can choose the themes that match your travel interests instead of focusing your stay on just one kind of outing.

Trails with different highlights

The Gößnitzfall–Kachlmoor nature trail starts at the Retschitzbrücke car park in Winkl. The Kachlmoor is a fen and provides an important habitat for special plants and animals. The connection with the fen draws attention not only to a point along the trail, but also to the importance of this type of landscape as a habitat. If nature is a particular interest, you can include this theme in your day’s plans.

The Kräuterwand walking trail runs along the Winkl district, via Wolfgang Chapel and up to Kräuterwand. The route names an intermediate stop and a destination: first comes Wolfgang Chapel, then the trail continues uphill to Kräuterwand. A different section takes centre stage on the Natura Mystica trail: a 15-minute spur leads to a viewing platform overlooking Gößnitzfall. Feuerinsel is a resting and barbecue area in the middle of the forest along the Natura Mystica circular trail. The viewpoint and the place to stop for a break give this circular trail different highlights.

Chapels, legends and crafts

The Baroque altarpiece in Briccius Chapel depicts 16 scenes from the legend of Briccius. This sequence of images gives the chapel a specific narrative detail. Briccius Chapel and its healing spring were renovated in 2004. The Heilwasser Bricciusweg is also connected with the chapel: it leads up to the legendary Briccius Chapel high above Heiligenblut. The chapel is therefore both a cultural attraction and the destination of a named trail.

The Knopfmacherstube at Sturm-Archehof offers a different example of local tradition. Buttons are made there from natural materials sourced in the region. The farm is home to Brown Mountain sheep, Tauernschecken goats, Austrian Grey geese, Cröllwitzer turkeys, Tufted ducks, Sulmtaler chickens and Blue Vienna rabbits. The animals kept there may change. Together, the crafts and animal husbandry give a visit a different focus from the chapels and trails.

Nature watching and seasonal activities

The Nationalpark Kristall Großglockner at Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe offers views of Großglockner and the Pasterze Glacier. With a little luck, visitors can observe marmots and ibex in their natural habitat. Wildlife sightings are a possibility, not a guarantee; this is precisely what makes seeing these wild animals a nature experience that depends on a lucky moment.

The toboggan run in the Winkl district is also worth considering when planning a winter visit: it is 500 m outside the centre and 1.1 kilometres long. It is a seasonal facility. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Winkl, you can choose one based on the themes you want to shape your stay: trails and landscapes, chapels and crafts, wildlife watching or seasonal tobogganing.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Lainach, Innerfragant.

Back to the main travel overview: Mallnitz.