Oberaurach: Parish Church and Hiking Routes

Oberaurach combines a parish church with late medieval works of art and several named routes with different itineraries. This offers two main focuses for planning a holiday: the church’s history and excursions that can be distinguished by their starting points and destinations. The artworks can be placed in their historical and thematic context, while each route description highlights its own stops.

Parish Church: Art from Several Centuries

The parish church in Oberaurach was dedicated to Saint Rupert in 1427. Its exterior frescoes date from around 1440 and depict seven scenes: the Agony in the Garden, the Flagellation, the Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, the Crucifixion, the Lamentation, and the Resurrection. The sequence moves from the Stations of the Passion to the Resurrection and can be read as a continuous narrative cycle.

The interior of the church also houses a late Gothic statue of Saint Rupert dating from 1480. This brings together different artistic forms: a sequence of images on the exterior and a single saint’s figure inside the church. The dates are also clearly distinct: the 1427 dedication is followed by the frescoes from around 1440 and the statue from 1480.

For culture-focused days on holiday, this offers a specific perspective on the parish church: the frescoes tell a story through several scenes, while the statue depicts the church’s patron saint. Visitors who would first like to explore the local history will find a different focus here from that of the routes, whose itineraries are shaped by farms, chapels, or the wildlife park.

Distinguishing Hiking Routes by Their Stops

The Sonnbergrunde runs from Oberaurach Church via Hallerwirt, Hof Filzen, and Hof Bachern towards the Bichlalmlift valley station/Bichlhof, then continues to Unteraurach and Oberaurach. This route therefore starts at a prominent place in the village and passes several farms as well as other locations and waypoints.

The Bischof tour passes through Oberaurach, by the hereditary farms, and on to the wildlife park. Its listed destinations therefore differ from the itinerary of the Sonnbergrunde: here, the hereditary farms and wildlife park feature along the route.

The Kochau route starts at the Aurach hiking information point and leads via Oberaurach, Waldkapelle, Kochau, Götschenkapelle, Pocherkapelle, Grüntal, Hechenmoos, Traidl, and Auwirt to Unteraurach. A short, steeper path leads directly to a chapel. The many named stops give this route its own points of reference, especially if you would like to include chapels and other waypoints in your excursion plans.

The 3-Gänge-Tour can also be identified by its stops. It runs from the Bichlalm chairlift valley station via the Bichlalm towards Gebrajoch and Gaisbergsattl, then to Aurach Wildlife Park and Hallerwirt in Oberaurach; after that, it returns to the valley station. By contrast, the Sonnbergrunde starts at the church, while the Bischof tour and Kochau route list different destinations and stops along the way.

Include Your Interests in Your Holiday Plans

If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Oberaurach, your plans for your days away can help you decide: would you like to focus on the parish church’s late medieval works, or choose one of the routes mainly by its stops? If you would like to plan for both, you can compare the listed destinations and itineraries rather than treating different tours as one continuous route.

When planning, bear in mind that terrain and seasonal conditions can vary along the routes. Restaurant opening times may also vary on the 3-Gänge-Tour; check the latest information before your excursion. This lets you choose accommodation based on the things that interest you most in Oberaurach, without assuming that all routes have the same stops or conditions.

For the broader travel overview: Aurach Bei Kitzbühel.