3-castle hike, Grafendorf

Start of the approx. 20 km long, signposted tour is the main square in Grafendorf. (or Park & Ride parking lot at the traffic circle on the B54, near the fire department).

• heading south we pass the bus company Gruber to the fire department and past the ADEG market Kogler to Seibersdorf,
• In Seibersdorf we turn right along Reitenaustraße and then left at Hammerwaldbründl to Stambach. Here we come to a Bründl and to the station "Water - Source of Life",
• along the Stambach, over wooden bridges and past resting places, we reach the station "Fememord",
• and continue until we reach the Reitenaustaße at the Waldpension Mara and cross it,
• here we turn right along the road to Grafendorf, and then we turn left at the information board "Land at the border",
• here we follow the Marbach along the information board "Schloss Reitenau" until we reach a staircase, which we climb.
• at the top there is the information board "The repopulation" and we go through meadows and woods to the station "Roman barrows",
• we follow this path. Here you can still see the contours of the tumuli in the forest. We then come to the information board "Roman Period Gravestones",
• Viewpoint: magnificent view of Grafendorf. We continue to the information board "Roman period manors" with a view of the fish pond and in the background we recognize the Kirchberg castle,
• now we pass the fish pond and a peacock volary to the information board "Prehistory and early history" and further into the forest, where we cross the Hartberger Safen,
• Further on we come to the information board "Dangerous round around the Ringkogel" before we cross fields and reach the dirt road which we follow uphill,
• at the information board "Die Sage vom Masenberg" we enter the forest and cross a ditch over a wooden bridge,
• At the edge of the forest you will find the information board "Geological structure". Across a meadow we reach a resting place and the information board "The village of Count Eckbert",
• at the water reservoir we have a great view of Grafendorf
• now we follow the path to Kirchberg Castle where the information board "Castle Kirchberg am Walde" informs us about the history of the castle and the information board "Agricultural and Forestry College" tells us about the school housed in the castle,
• after Kirchberg Castle we come to the information board with the title "The Styrian Farmers' Heaven VI", on the right the forest path called "Himmelsstiege". Over bridges and stairs we cross the Kirchbergbach and climb, past the information board "Der steirische Bauernhimmel V", to Reibersdorf where we come to the information board "Der Steirische Bauernhimmel IV",
• in Reibersdorf there is another information board "Der Koart'nspüler",
• we now cross the railroad tracks and immediately turn right onto the path along the tracks,
• we go along the path. After a left turn we are on the hill between Lungitztal and Lafnitztal and here we can see trenches that remain from the end of World War 2,
• at the White Cross turn right down into the Lungitz Valley, we follow a gravel road to the connecting road Grafendorf train station to Lafnitz,
• go under the B54 and turn right at a crossroads, cross the Lungitzbach on a bridge and go up across the meadow to the railroad line,
• we follow the railroad line and about 500 m later we cross the Lungitzstraße and follow the path to the Hubertuskapelle,
• from the Hubertus chapel we go under the power line and already see Grafendorf. Past a pasture, under the Wechselbundesstraße through, past the former cold storage house we get back to the center of Grafendorf.

This circular route can also be done in several stages. (see "Along the 3 castles hiking trail part 1" and "Along the 3 castles hiking trail part 2).

e.g. Grafendorf train station - trail 13 to the White Cross and the Formbacherlandweg back to the Grafendorf train station.

Timetables and travel information can be found at Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) or at Verkehrsauskunft Verbundlinie.

For local transportation we recommend the SAM-Sammeltaxi Oststeiermark.

Grafendorf, main square Park & Ride at the B54 traffic circle

Information about the region, places to stop and stay, excursion destinations etc. can be found here:

Eastern Styria Tourist Board

Hartbergerland office

Alleegasse 6

8230 Hartberg

Tel.: +43 3332 603 300

Vacation in Hartbergerland | Eastern Styria

www.oststeiermark.com

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Mobility Eastern Styria with shared cab SAM

Find out about maps, hiking brochures and other tour tips at the tourist office.

You can also order information material from the comfort of your own home on our website

Eastern Styria Tourist Office

Hartberg office

Alleegasse 6, 8230 Hartberg

www.oststeiermark.com