Hochalm - Maria Schnee from "Kühberger"

"The Devout:"
Maria Schnee is the fairytale name of the highest place of pilgrimage in the Eastern Alps, situated on the Hochalm. The idyllic mountain church is a very special place for many pilgrims. The view, which stretches from the Seetal Alps to Semmering, is unique and the panorama impressive! This tour can be done either from the center of Seckau or a little shorter from the Kühbergerhof.

Highlight: Maria Schnee Chapel, summit cross, Seckau Abbey

This hike takes you from Seckau to the highest pilgrimage church “Maria Schnee” on the Hochalm. Here you can either hike from the center of Seckau and arrive by public transport or drive to the Kühbergerhof and shorten the tour by a total of 8 kilometers.
There is a legend about the wonderful chapel on the Hochalm that will turn your hike into a devotional experience.

Tip - A legendary hiking experience:

Here is the legend “Maria Schnee” from the book “Mysterious Murtal” by Markus Beren and Tamara Markel

To the north of Seckau are the Seckau Alps with the Hochreichart and the Zinken. On the easternmost peak, called Hochalm, lies the simple little mountain church of Maria Schnee at an altitude of 1,816 meters. It was built in 1660 by the dean of the Seckau collegiate church, Paul Auer, in order to hold church services three times a year for the inhabitants of the Alps. In the past, the alpine people on the Hochalm became increasingly careless and wasteful and did not appreciate the abundant gifts of heaven. From year to year, the yields from the many mountain pastures became smaller and smaller, livestock numbers declined and finally the mountain pastures were almost deserted. But the people did not improve. Once, at the beginning of the summer, so much snow fell that it remained there until winter and no cattle could be herded up. So the farmers decided to build a church in honor of the Mother of God on top of the mountain to propitiate the heavens. And because there was so much snow on the high alpine pasture at the time, the little church was given the beautiful name “Maria im Schnee” (Mary in the snow). Since then, the mountain pasture has been well again and the cattle are thriving.

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

17,6 km

Route

6:00 h

Time

1010 hm

Uphill

1010 hm

Downhill

1822 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

Download KML data

More information

Seckau is easily accessible by car. Via the A9 Pyhrnautobahn and the S36 Murtal Schnellstraße, you can reach Seckau relatively quickly from Graz or Vienna. The journey from Graz takes around 1 hour, from Vienna around 2 hours. From Salzburg you can take the A10 Tauern Autobahn and the S36.

From Graz: A9 northbound to the St. Michael in der Obersteiermark exit and continue on the S36 to the Knittelfeld West exit, then towards Seckau.
From Vienna: A2 and then A9 south to St. Michael and continue as described above.
From Salzburg: A10 and then the S36 heading east.

From the village center, follow Sonnwenddorfstraße until it joins Kühbergerstraße. Follow this road to the Kühbergerhof. (Please note, if you are traveling to the tour by car, you can start the tour from the Kühbergerhof and thus save around 8 kilometers, prepare € 2,-- coins for the barrier (opening hours: summer 5 a.m. - 5 p.m., winter 6 a.m. - 3 p.m.))

We first follow the forest road, but the excellent signposting soon leads us away from the serpentine road. The trail leads us along some huts and a stream. Then the path turns into a footpath, we also pass a game gate until the path leads uphill to the right on a forest path. The path is a little steeper but easy to walk. We now leave the stream that has accompanied us until now. After the ascent in the forest, we come out on the forest road and can continue directly opposite on an alpine pasture. Now the view becomes wider and we reach the car park in front of the Grafenalm - attention, the Grafenalm is closed. Here you have a wonderful view in the direction of Murtal and Zirbitzkogel. We are now about halfway there.

On the left side of the hill is a prominent tree - the path now leads directly past the Wetterlärche. Of course, you can also follow the forest road, because the ascent over the Almenboden is relatively steep, and it is worthwhile to use hiking poles here. We then briefly pass through a piece of forest again. The path continues and we can already see the Hochalm with Maria Schnee in front of us. A great photo motif from this position. Following the wide path - which becomes steeper again - we soon lose sight of the Hochalm again. The climbers among us dare to climb directly over the alpine pasture floor.

But after the ascent above the path, as soon as we have finally reached the tree line, we see the Seckauer Zinken and the special shape and red colour that this mountain range has. Even though we have the feeling that we must have reached Maria Schnee long ago, we realise that we are now approaching the church from the back.

Even if Maria Schnee is the destination for most hikers - a detour to the memorial cross of the Hochalm is definitely recommended. It is only a few hundred metres to the top, but you will be rewarded with a magnificent view of the Eisenerz Alps and Hochschwab.

For a conflict-free coexistence on alpine pastures and meadows it is important to observe a few rules, especially when traveling with dogs. (Source: www.sichere-almen.at - 06/2021)

Avoid contact with grazing animals, do not feed them, keep a safe distance!
Keep calm, do not frighten grazing animals!
Mother cows protect their calves. Avoid encounters between mother cows and dogs!
Always keep dogs under control and on a short leash. If an attack by a grazing animal is foreseeable: Immediately unleash!
Do not leave hiking trails on alpine pastures and meadows!
If grazing animals block the way, avoid them as far as possible!
When grazing animals approach: Stay calm, do not turn your back, avoid the animals!
Leave the grazing area quickly at the first sign of restlessness of the animals!Fences must be respected!
If there is a gate, use it, then close it well and cross the pasture quickly!
Treat the people working here, nature and the animals with respect!

A few tips for correct and fair behavior in the forest: (Source: www.bundesforste.at 6/2021)

Hikers should avoid visits to the forest about 1.5 hours before sunrise and after sunset, as wildlife is especially active during this time.
Plastic bottles, handkerchiefs, cigarette butts & Co have no place in the forest! Please make sure that you do not leave any trash in the forest.
Camping and making fire - is strictly forbidden in the forest!
In principle, each person is allowed to collect 2 kg of mushrooms and berries per day for personal use in the forest. It is only forbidden if the forest owner expressly forbids it.

Alpine emergency call:
Mountain rescue emergency number: 140
EU emergency number: 112
Weather service:
www.zamg.ac.at
Direct link mountain weather Styria:
https://www.zamg.ac.at/cms/de/wetter/produkte-und-services/bergwetter/steiermark

With the Regiobus 843 from Knittelfeld. More info: BusBahnBim Routenplaner

Parking lot Gemeindeamt Seckau or Kühbergerhof Seckau for a fee of € 2,-- (summer opening hours 5 am - 5 pm o'clock, winter 6 am - 3 pm o'clock)

Church services:

under Seckau Abbey ; Tel. +43 3514 5234-0

Hiking map freytag & berndt WK 212 Seetaler Alpen, Seckauer Alpen, Judenburg, Knittelfeld

Route number: 32

You can also find this tour on the following hiking map: