The canticle of the sun path (Sonnengesangsweg)

A circular trail with nature encounters at the foot of the King's Mountain on forest and meadow paths with eight designed stations on the Canticle of the Sun, the prayer of Francis of Assisi.

The Canticle of the Sun path is dedicated to the prayer of the same name by St. Francis of Assisi. The 9 meter high rusty statue of St. Francis with the wolf, created in 2006 by the Bolivian Fernando Crespo, cannot be overlooked. Artists from Tieschen have designed stations for the individual stanzas of the Canticle of the Sun, which encourage reflection and invite deeper encounters with the elements. In the church itself, the painting of St. Francis with Our Lady, painted by Rotky, is particularly noteworthy.

Worth seeing:

St. Francis and Tieschen Parish Church
Statue of St. Francis with the wolf
Beautiful view with moon and stars
The wind harp
Be praised by brother wind - information board
Short branch to the basalt fissure
Elisabeth spring as sister water
Brother Fire

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

easy

Level of difficulty

4,7 km

Route

1:30 h

Time

150 hm

Uphill

145 hm

Downhill

356 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

Download KML data

More information

Detailed information on how to get there can be found here.

The trail starts at the market square and passes by the sundial, from where it goes in the direction of the basalt fissure. At the beginning there are 80 meters of ascent. Up the road, then along the small wood out of the village into the vineyard we come to the forest, where the access to "Moon & Stars" is located. On a small viewing platform you have a magnificent view over Tieschen to the Bacherngebirge. Follow the path back to the junction and then turn left to reach the junction to the Windharfe. Follow the edge of the forest for a while and then enter the open forest to the basalt crevice. Passing underneath it, we reach a forest road on the level forest path, under which the Elisabeth spring bubbles out of the basalt stone a little further to the right. From here we go down to the forest path below, which leads us out of the forest on the left again, straight to the "fire" burning in a meadow orchard next to the path. As soon as we reach a farm, we branch off to the left and come to the labyrinth on the right in the forest, which leads us to the earth. Then on the path briefly down to the right towards Pichla (where there is the possibility to visit the chapel in Pichla about 150 m to the right), then left along the road slightly uphill and soon right again on a dirt road is finally peace and reconciliation themed. A little further ahead on the road then right and once again right straight down into the village and left back to the church we come to the eighth and last station next to the church: death, which is represented as the gateway to life.

Allow enough time for the hike, time to pause at the stations.

Timetables and travel information can be found directly at: Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB), Steiermärkische Landesbahnen (STLB), www.busbahnbim.at.

With the BusBahnBim app from Verbundlinie, timetable information has never been easier: 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.

Free Parking lots next to the main square available

Tourist Office Thermen- & Vulkanland
Gästeinfo Bad Radkersburg
Hauptplatz 14
8490 Bad Radkersburg
Tel. +43 3382 55 100-90
badradkersburg@thermen-vulkanland.at
www.thermen-vulkanland.at