Hiking route Fieberbründlweg, Pöllau - Touren-Impression #1 | © Tourismusverband Oststeiermark Hiking route Fieberbründlweg, Pöllau - Touren-Impression #1 | © Tourismusverband Oststeiermark

Fieberbründlweg, Pöllau

On the trail of pilgrims and pilgrims from the famous Pöllau parish church to the Maria Fieberbründl pilgrimage church, the largest pilgrimage site in Eastern Styria.
The starting point of this pilgrimage trail is the castle park next to the beautiful, baroque parish church in Pöllau, which is part of the former Augustinian canons' monastery. While the church is known as the "Styrian St. Peter's Cathedral" due to its resemblance, the former monastery is simply called "the castle" by the locals. The well-preserved village center and the enchanting castle park also contribute to the popularity of the village among guests from Austria and abroad.

The church of Fieberbründl, on the other hand, is a simple church, but with almost 60,000 pilgrims a year, it is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in Styria. The water from the spring, which rises right next to the church, is said to help with fevers in particular.

The pilgrimage trail in the Pöllau Valley Nature Park first leads through the idyllic Schönauklamm gorge and then past the Gothic church in the small village of St. Stefan. The path then continues along fields and orchards and always with a view up to the pilgrimage church of Pöllauberg.

An easy trail, but one that requires a bit of stamina.

Characteristics

Skill
Fitness

Best season

The tour in numbers

easy
Level of difficulty
15,2 km
Route
4:30 h
Time
320 hm
Uphill
360 hm
Downhill
494 m
Highest point

Map & downloads

More information

Pöllau, Castle Park

The Pöllau Valley Nature Park is located in the heart of Eastern Styria, the garden of Austria, approx. 60 km north-east of Graz and approx. 150 km south of Vienna

By car from Vienna
If you are driving from Vienna to Pöllau bei Hartberg, take the A2 towards Graz and drive about 110 kilometres until you reach the Hartberg exit. From there, follow the B54 in the direction of Pöllau.

By car from Graz
To get to Pöllau bei Hartberg from Graz, take the A2 motorway in the direction of Vienna. After about 30 kilometres, take the Gleisdorf West exit and then take the B54 towards Hartberg/Pöllau. Follow the B54 for about 25 kilometres until you reach Pöllau.

By car from Salzburg
To get to Pöllau bei Hartberg from Salzburg, take the A1 motorway towards Vienna. Drive about 110 kilometres to exit 109 (Salzburg junction). There change to the A9 motorway in the direction of Graz. At St. Michael, follow the S6 towards Kapfenberg. Continue on the S6 until the Krieglach exit. From there, take the B72 and then the L405 to Pöllau.

The path is signposted throughout with "Fieberbründl/Weg-Nr. 945", sometimes with the additions "Schönaudorf" and "durch Schönauklamm".

For the return journey, please order a SAM shared cab to Maria Fieberbründl/Station HF7038 in good time.

Please be sure to check the opening hours of the restaurants BEFORE the hike!

Start: Signpost in the castle park in Pöllau

  • We start in front of the large signpost in the park and walk out to the left until we reach the road.
  • There we turn left, walk a short distance and then turn right and continue straight ahead, past the crossroads ("Laufstrecke" or red-white-red markings).
  • Immediately after the bridge, we turn left and continue "Via Schönaudorf to Fieberbründl" (in the direction of the Buchberger company on the right-hand side).
  • At the next major road junction, continue straight ahead, the path now runs along the R57 cycle path.
  • At a beautiful pink wayside cross, we continue left and are now in the forest.We reach a farmstead with beehives and a paddock and turn right towards "Schönauklamm".
  • As soon as we leave the forest, we keep to the right and walk up along the edge of the forest.
  • We are now in the Schönauklamm gorge, cross the stream and continue to the edge of the forest. There we turn left out onto the country road.
  • Turn right at the country road and walk up the road past a wayside chapel.
  • We now walk uphill and soon reach "Hinteregg" at the "Bergerkreuz".
  • We turn left, walk out a little way and turn left down into the forest at the nature park school.
  • A section of path in the forest and then immediately turn right and continue straight ahead.
  • At a crossroads, turn left downhill to a rest area with "frohnatur" loungers, where you can take a break if you wish.
  • However, the path continues straight ahead. We soon come to a country road, which we cross. The path leads straight on down into the Schönauklamm gorge. We leave the footbridge on the right and continue straight ahead.
  • Passing a ruin, we now walk directly along the stream.
  • We cross the bridge on the right and continue left along the stream bank.
  • We walk past a few houses until we reach the asphalt path and turn left over the bridge.
  • We walk ahead to the large crossroads in Schönau ("Hirschbirn hirschen" station!) and continue along the asphalt road on the right.
  • At the next crossroads, we turn left towards "St. Stefan/Hofkirchen" and continue along the asphalt road.
  • Only a short distance, then we turn right after the crossroads.A few meters further along the farm track and we turn left into the forest.
  • We cross the stream and continue straight ahead. Cross a meadow and turn left between the fields.
  • Pass a beautiful earth cellar and a wayside cross, cross the road and continue straight ahead.
  • Just around the house and then turn right again into the forest and then left slightly uphill.
  • We now walk a little steeply uphill and then immediately turn left into the forest.
  • Back on the asphalt road, we turn left downhill.
  • At the next junction, we turn right and continue along the asphalt road, now uphill again.
  • Immediately after the "Hofkirchen" signpost, we turn left downhill.
  • Continuing along the forest, we now reach the first orchards.
  • As soon as we reach the asphalt path again, we cross the meadow in front of the Ballonhotel Thaller and then turn right onto the footpath. The Kulm is directly in front of us.
  • Across the meadow we are back on the asphalt path, we go down to the left, cross the path and go straight on into the meadow path again (ground markings!)Continue right through the forest and straight ahead across the meadow.
  • We have now reached the village of "Obertiefenbach" and walk downhill in a left-right combination to the main road.
  • At the country road, we turn left and walk along the sidewalk for a short distance.
  • We cross the road and continue to the right, passing a fish pond on the left.
  • The meadow path now leads out to the right, at the fork in the path in the forest we keep right and are soon at the top of the road.
  • We cross the gravel path and continue down the other side.
  • We cross two small bridges and have already reached our destination of Fieberbründl. Shortly before the church, we pass the turn-off to the graduation house, which is well worth experiencing.
  •  
At Hotel Thaller in Hofkirchen, we can warmly recommend the regional cuisine, and when the weather is right, hot air balloons take off from the meadow there.

Timetables and travel information can be found at Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) or at Verkehrsauskunft Verbundlinie.
For local transportation we recommend the SAM-Sammeltaxi Oststeiermark. Maria Fieberbründl/Station HF7038

Pöllau, castle park
P&R at the pöllau bypass
All information about the region, accommodation and excursion destinations can be obtained from the

Eastern Styria Tourist Board
Nature Park Pöllauer Valley office

Schloss 1
8225 Pöllau, Austria
Tel.: +43 3335 4210
www.naturpark-poellauertal.at
www.oststeiermark.com  

To the current weather
Mobility Eastern Styria with shared cab SAM  

Kompass Map, Hiking Map Nature Park Pöllauer Valley 1:30,000

Find out about maps, hiking brochures and other tour tips at the tourist office. You can also order information material on our website from the comfort of your own home.

Rother hiking guide "Oststeiermark - Von den Fischbacher Alpen bis in die Thermenregion", 50 tours, Elisabeth Zienitzer & Silvia Sarcletti paperback, ISBN-10, 376334577 available in bookshops

 

Gallery

What the weather will be like

Feistritztal (361m)

Morning
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Noon
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Dry and sunny throughout the day with hardly any clouds.
Morning
very sunny
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Dry and sunny throughout the day with hardly any clouds.
31.12.2024
very sunny
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01.01.2025
very sunny
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02.01.2025
slightly cloudy
-4°C 8°C

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