Mariazeller Gründerweg - Etappe 5

The Mariazell Pilgrimage Route stretches over 192 kilometres and leads from St. Lambrecht Abbey in Murau, through the Murtal and the region Erzberg Leoben to the final destination of Mariazell in Hochsteiermark. On a total of 7 stages, on foot you discover devotional places of strength in the green heart of Styria. Reversed, the Pilgrim’s Trail from Mariazell to St. Lambrecht can be completed as a part of the famous Romea Strata, with Rome as the end of the journey.

The fifth stage takes us from Vordernberg via Hiaslegg to Tragöß and via Riegnereck and Etmißl to Aflenz Kurort.

Vordernberg is an important place in terms of mining history. In addition to numerous buildings, Radwerk IV is a first-class industrial monument, as it is the only preserved and fully equipped charcoal blast furnace in the world. Today's route leads through large sections of forest, where the theme of water is omnipresent. On the one hand, the trail leads along numerous streams and on the other, the natural jewel Grüner See can be reached via a detour of approx. 1.5 kilometers. Two further highlights - in the truest sense of the word - are the well-known pass from Trofaiach to Tragöß with the Hiaslegg inn (1154 m) and the Riegnereck (1220 m) hidden in the forest between Tragöß and Etmißl. The stage finish is the climatic health resort of Aflenz, a place to feel good and take a deep breath on the southern flank of the Hochschwab massif!

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

medium

Level of difficulty

32,3 km

Route

9:30 h

Time

1180 hm

Uphill

1240 hm

Downhill

1220 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

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More information

By train & bus to the pilgrimage: Bus no. 820 from Leoben to Vordernberg: BusBahnBim

Overview of the route:
Vordernberg - Hohe Rötz - Rötzgraben - Hiaslegg - Tragöß Oberort - Pfeiffergraben - Riegnereck - Oischinggraben - Etmißl - Büchsengut - Fegenberg - Aflenz.
Route description:
We start in Vordernberg (839 m) and see the signpost for Hiaslegg near Radwerk IV. We follow the Rötzstraße road under the railroad bridge and leave the populated area after just a few meters. The pilgrims' and hiking trail leads uphill along a gravel road - very steep in places. Shortly after the first clearing (vlg. Brandstetter) we reach the Hohe Rötz crossing (1064 m). We follow the road downhill and continue straight ahead in the right-hand bend on the wide footpath and mountain bike trail, which leads downhill into the Rötzgraben. We follow the road for the next 4.3 kilometers to the pass crossing and the Gasthaus Hiaslegg(1154 m). We walk along the road towards Tragöß for a while until we see the signs on the left and take the hiking and pilgrimage trail downhill. Once at the bottom of the valley, the path divides in the direction of Grüner See or straight ahead to Tragöß Oberort. Past the local history museum in Tragöß Oberort (793 m), we walk along the Haringgraben for a kilometer until we turn right and follow the wide forest road (hiking trail 846) uphill for around 2.5 kilometers. Via a path we reach Riegnereck (1220 m) in the forest, the highest point of today's stage. We follow the path for a short distance until we reach the forest road and follow it continuously downhill through the Oischinggraben. Once we reach the wide valley floor, we make a pilgrimage on the gravel and asphalt road to the village of Etmißl (709 m) and on to Büchsengut. We leave the road at Ungerwirt and turn left onto a small road that leads to Fegenberg. From here we descend to the Hofbauer snack station, then into the Fölzgraben, where we turn right after the wood chip plant and continue along a gravel road to Aflenz Kurort.

Notable sights and pilgrimage sites along the way: St. Anna's Church in Etmißl, St. Peter's Parish Church in Aflenz with its charnel house and the candle grotto in Aflenz Kurort.

Vordernberg, Tragöß Oberort and Aflenz Kurort can be reached by bus.
The BusBahnBim app from Verbundlinie makes it easier than ever to get timetable information: all bus, train and streetcar connections in Austria can be queried by entering locations and/or addresses, stops or important points. The app is available as a free app for smartphones (Android, iOS) - on Google Play and in the App Store

ÖBB www.oebb.at or Verbundlinie Steiermark www.busbahnbim.at

Parking spaces at the market square in Vordernberg.

Alternatively, it is possible to walk the individual stages separately. In this case, however, the return journey to the starting point must be organized.

For guests and visitors, there is a public WC (opening hours: 07.00 - 19.00) on the main square in Vordernberg (Public WC - Google Maps)