Discover Winklern: Tower History and Hiking Trails

Winklern combines local history with trails through a riverside landscape and a high-altitude hike in Hohe Tauern National Park. The toll tower stands in the town centre; churches tell the story of several building phases, while the cultural landscape trail along the Möll River offers a different perspective on the surroundings. To help you plan your search for a holiday apartment, make an initial decision: should your stay focus mainly on culture, a hike along the river, a high-altitude trail or the seasonal ski bus?

The Toll Tower: Building History and Crystals

The toll tower stands in the town centre of Winklern and is late Romanesque or early Gothic in style. Throughout its history, it served mainly as a granary and residential tower; it was first mentioned in a document in the 14th century. The tower thus tells not only of an architectural style but also of changing uses over several centuries.

As part of the Carinthian State Exhibition “Water-Gold”, the toll tower was enclosed in 2004 by the “Tauernwurm”, a wood-and-steel structure, and made accessible both inside and out. The toll tower’s crystal exhibition includes the largest calcite crystal in the Eastern Alps: it is pearly white, weighs over 45 kilograms and comes from the Reißeck Group. The exhibition also features crystals from the southern Hohe Tauern. The names of their places of discovery connect the specimens with local valleys and peaks. Individual exhibits may change; if a particular specimen is important to you, check in advance whether it is currently on display. Because of the many steps in the toll tower, the exhibition is not accessible to people with mobility impairments.

Church Art from Different Periods

The churches also offer their own historical highlights. Winklern Parish Church is late Gothic and dates from the 15th and 16th centuries; it was remodelled and extended around 1800. It features a fresco of Saint Christopher from 1470. The fresco thus predates the later alterations to the church building by a long time—a specific chronological difference that draws attention to the history of the building and the artwork.

Above the village of Winklern, Penzelberg branch church sits at an altitude of 1,375 metres. Inscriptions on the chancel arch and above the gallery give 1765 as the year the present building was constructed. Together with the parish church, it offers another distinct reference point in the history of Winklern’s religious buildings.

River Trail or High-Altitude Hike?

The cultural landscape trail follows easy paths through the landscape along the Möll River. The Winklerner Alm family hiking trail follows a different route: it is a high-altitude trail in the heart of Hohe Tauern National Park and covers around 2,000 metres of elevation gain. Allow about four hours for the round trip. This lets you choose between a trail along the river and a high-altitude hike with a clear time commitment.

In winter, a free ski bus runs from Winklern to Heiligenblut or to Zettersfeld in East Tyrol. Check the current winter timetable when planning your trip; the service is seasonal. Travel options therefore also vary by season: the Möll River trails and the high-altitude hike contrast with the winter destinations served by the ski bus.

The Right Location for Your Travel Plans

When looking for a holiday apartment in Winklern, your preferred daily pace can be a good starting point: local history, riverside trails and a high-altitude hike appeal to different interests. For a winter trip, you can also take the seasonal ski bus service into account.

Discover more destinations: Reißeck, Weissensee, Aschbach, Trebesing, Stall, Penk, Seeboden, Großkirchheim

View the main travel guide: Spittal An Der Drau.