Etappe 03: BergZeitReise Schiestlhaus - Voisthalerhütte - Seewiesen

Name: Etappe 03: BergZeitReise Schiestlhaus - Voisthalerhütte - Seewiesen
Brand: Steiermark
Rating: 5 (2 reviews)

Stage 03: "On the way with Archduke Johann" - from Schiestlhaus to the rustic Voisthalerhütte and to Seewiesen Start: Schiestlhaus on Hochschwab, Tel.: +43 699 108 121 99, www.schiestlhaus.at GPS grid N 47° 37' 19,5" E 15° 8' 54,2" Destination / overnight stop: Seewiesen, the "Styrian Heiligenblut", tourist information, overnight accommodations: Tel.: +43 664 3548485, www.turnau.gv.at/tourismus Cab services: Taxi Steiner Tel.: +43 3862 51333 and Taxi Hochschwab Reisen Tel.: +43 3861 2400 GPS grid N 47° 37' 14,3" E 15° 16' 15,3" Stage length: 11.8 kilometers Total walking time (without breaks): 4 ½ hours Vertical meters ascent: 100 vertical meters Meters in altitude descent: 1,310 meters in altitude Difficulties: alpine trail without difficult parts, in bad weather / fog orientation not so easy! This stage of the HOCHsteirische BergZeitReise corresponds to stage 15 of the overall Styrian long-distance hiking trail "from the glacier to the wine" - north trail.

Following in the footsteps of Archduke Johann, we descend from Hochschwab to Seewiesen. Once a large lake shaped this landscape. By draining it, Seewiesen became a tranquil little village with a famous parish church (St. Leonhard). Due to its location at the foot of the Hochschwab, Seewiesen is also called Styrian Heiligenblut.

Archduke Johann, the Styrian prince, starts from Seewiesen for the first touristic ascent of the Hochschwab - a monument still reminds of this alpinistic deed.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

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The tour in numbers

medium

Level of difficulty

23,5 km

Route

8:00 h

Time

1030 hm

Uphill

1610 hm

Downhill

2276 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

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Mountain stage, no access / approach possible.

Today's stage is a leisurely conclusion to the Hochschwab crossing. We first hike from the Schiestlhaus across the plateau down to a prominent crossroads in the upper Dullwitz.

This high valley is a remnant of the glacial activity during the last great ice age and leads us, following it out of the valley, to the cozy Voisthalerhütte.

Here we should definitely plan a rest and enjoy the magnificent rock landscape of Edelspitzen and Karlmauer on the hut terrace - a fantastic climbing area.

Immediately after the hut, the trail descends more steeply through the Voisthaler Gassl and then briefly uphill again to the Franzosenkreuz.

This cross was erected in memory of the local people who once sought protection here from Napoleon's troops.

Once again, the descent is somewhat steeper, past the unmanaged Florlhütte, to the Lettanger, the valley floor near Seewiesen.

Following a wide forest path we reach the "Styrian Heiligenblut", as Seewiesen is also called, after about 30 minutes on foot. Here or on the neighboring Seebergalm (from Seewiesen another 45 minutes walk) we spend the night.

Long before Archduke Johann settled in nearby Brandhof, he succeeded in 1803 in the first "tourist" ascent of Hochschwab . In him the love for the Styrian landscape and especially for the "Styrian Gamsgebirg", as the Hochschwab was also called, had awakened early. Due to the abundance of chamois, the mountain massif also offered itself as an excellent hunting ground. Archduke Johann reported about a hunt in the "upper Tullwitz": "This cirque is the real place to hold big chamois hunts, as the chamois are driven down into this basin and have only three ways open to escape."

In 1818, the Archduke purchased the nearby Brandhof farm at auction and established a model estate for Alpine cattle breeding here. In 1829, he married Anna Plochl, the daughter of a postmaster, in the new chapel built there. Today, a sculpture in Seewiesen commemorates the work of the "Styrian prince". There is also a small Gothic church worth seeing, which is called "Styrian Heiligenblut". The church building dedicated to St. Leonhard, originally erected as the last pilgrimage site on the way to Mariazell, need not fear comparison with the Carinthian original - embedded in the panorama of the Hochschwab massif. The name Seewiesen, by the way, comes from a lake meadow that once filled the fertile valley floor here.

According to a legend, it was an evil spell that put everything under water. Thanks to the courage of a knight, the water drained away again and today only remnants of it can be seen.

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 places 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.

Mountain stage, no access / approach possible.

www.steiermark.com/wandern

The Styria Tours App, available for free on Google Play and in the App Store (Android, iOS), offers detailed first-hand information: short facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent in altitude meters, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, summit finder, navigation along the tour. In addition, you can create your personal favorites list of favorite tours and points, save tours and destinations offline, play on social media channels and more.

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 Pocket Card hiking route "From glacier to wine" can be found on www.steiermark.com hiking map

BergZeitReise through Hochsteiermark can be found at www.bergzeitreise.at

Compass WK212 Hochschwab, Mariazell, Eisenwurzen

Freytag &Berndt WK41 Hochschwab - Veitschalpe - Eisenerz - Bruck an der Mur

Hiking guide "BergZeitReise" through Hochsteiermark, self-published.

Available in the webshop, in the office of the TV in Bruck/Mur or in well-stocked bookstores at € 9.90.