Thaur: Castle, Romedikirchl and Routes into the Karwendel

Thaur combines impressive traces of history with routes into Karwendel Nature Park. If you are looking for a mix of culture, regional history and mountain destinations for your trip, the village offers several different points of interest. When choosing your holiday apartment, you can therefore consider whether you mainly want to explore historic sites or take excursions to the destinations described in the nature park.

Historic Sites and Living Traditions

Thaur Castle was first mentioned in official records in 1232 as being owned by the Counts of Tyrol and has been a sovereign castle since 1284. It served as the seat of the regional court and therefore represents the historical importance of the village. St. Ulrich's Church is also a remarkable landmark: it is considered the oldest surviving church building in Tyrol.

A special tradition is the Thaur Palm Donkey Procession. During the procession, an ensemble consisting of a palm donkey and a figure of Christ, more than 240 years old, is pulled on a small wagon by altar servers from the parish church in Thaur to the pilgrimage church “Romedikirchl”, onward to Rum and back to Thaur. This procession makes religious tradition and local history tangible in a concrete form.

An exhibition on the upper floor of the Romediwirt is dedicated to the history of the village of Thaur and documents 6,000 years of settlement history. The exhibition also features specimens, as well as eggs and pellets from four owl species. It thus supplements the historical themes with a natural-history perspective. Since 2001, the ruins of Thaur Castle have served as the stage setting for the Thaur Castle Plays.

Routes to Romedikirchl and the Mountain Destinations

From the village parish church of the Assumption of Mary in Thaur, a steep Way of the Cross with grottoes and a romantic archway leads to the Romedius Chapel at an elevation of 793 m. Romedikirchl is located in Karwendel Nature Park. Those wishing to plan a route with a clearly noticeable ascent will find a special cultural and historical trail here.

The Thaurer Rosskopf can also be approached in different ways: Almost the entire ascent follows a forest track; only the final five minutes to the summit cross lead along a narrow trail. The Kaisersäule can be reached from Thaur via the “Thaurer Alm” car park and is also located in Karwendel Nature Park. These different trail characteristics help you choose excursions according to your interests and preferred way of spending the day, without presenting all destinations as one uniform experience.

Getting There and Choosing Your Accommodation

If you are travelling by bus, routes 501 and 502 run to the Thaur Dorf stop. From there, it is approximately another 30 minutes uphill to the Thaurer Alm car park. Take this approximate additional distance into account when planning if you would like to include the Kaisersäule or the routes around Thaurer Alm.

A holiday apartment in Thaur is particularly suitable as a base if you would like to combine cultural discoveries with excursions into the surrounding landscape. When choosing the location of your accommodation, you can first decide whether the castle, churches and exhibition should be the main focus, or whether you would prefer to allow more time for routes such as the Way of the Cross, the Rosskopf and the Kaisersäule. This creates a travel plan that takes different interests within your group into account and leaves room for both historical and natural-history experiences.

Compare Other Places

If you would like to compare other places when searching for accommodation, you can find additional destinations here: Pfaffenhofen, Patsch, Schönberg in the Stubai Valley, Matrei am Brenner, Oberperfuss, Gschnitz, Telfs and Birgitz.

To the higher-level travel overview: Innsbruck-Land.