Stories from Bad Kleinkirchheim

Author: Verena Schneider
35 years Waldtratte – the mountain is calling! I absolutely had to answer this call. The Waldtratte is an institution here in Bad Kleinkirchheim and was even voted 2nd ‚coolest ski lodge‘ in Austria. One more reason to visit the mountain restaurant half way down the Kaiserburgbahn… And the traditional Mountain Church Fair was at its best, even if the weather wasn’t as...

Author: Stefan Heinisch
Observing the Alpenfahrt Classic Rally from a distant viewpoint. Not distracted by any special tests, eyes (and heart) open for those bad Jaguars, the fine Lancias and the wild Alfas. A summary of 457 alpine kilometers.
After 2 years of successful participation at the International Austrian Alpine Drive (Int. Österreichischen Alpenfahrt) Classic Rally (2007: 105th...

Author: Markus Patscheider
Normally wild animals are pretty shy. But not Cindy the doe, who is magically drawn to all the activity on the slopes of Bad Kleinkirchheim.
Once upon a time, long, long ago … I’d like to start my story with these selfsame words that have begun many a fairy tale. But this fairy tale isn’t from the famous Brothers Grimm, but instead is a real story which happened...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
What do 7 green keepers, a caddy and Gerhard Pontasch have in common? A vision. To be exact: to nourish and cultivate the 18 hole champion green Kaiserburg, which expands over more than 90 hectare, by every trick in the book. We’re talking about ‘art’ here. I found that out for myself recently. Pontasch, the boss of the course, took the time to show me around the place and...

Author: Markus Patscheider
Even if it seems that winter has caused nature to retreat and the snow has muted most sounds, there’s still a lot to hear and see in the woods. It can really be exciting to walk through the snow filled forest during this time. You’ll not only see ski, sled and snow shoe tracks, but you’ll also be able to find the tracks of animals large and small. Maybe you’ll...

Author: Verena Schneider
Crunch, crunch, crunch… the tracks are made evenly over the snow covered alp. Snow shoe hiking is a sport which is getting more and more popular and we want to get to the bottom of this fascination.
We start off on our snow shoe afternoon at the ski school office Krainer in the Bach (Maibrunnweg) district. Bernhard, our guide, provided our group of 6 with snow shoes and...

Author: Verena Schneider
An herbal-hike on the Falkert… 9 “newbies” and National Park herbal-woman Birgit go on a quest to find all things that you can eat or that can heal. At first, each of us gets a small white pouch in which we can save all our found treasuries - to spread on our bread.
The fact that wild-herbs taste good is something I already know – and I even use wild-herb salt for my...

Author: Verena Schneider
Because I often want to escape the grey everyday life of late autumn, I once again set off towards Millstätter-Lake, being as the loveliest weather was waiting outside. At Döbriach the streets curl up towards Mirnock – the “mountain of energy”. Many claim that this mountain possesses mystical powers. The mountain itself offers a whole variety of places of power, for...

Author: Brigitte Kaplenig
If I need a short break, I like going out into the out of doors. And very often I walk a route which, after all these years, has become very familiar to me, but always gives me new impressions, which I scoop up along the way.
It’s a part of what is called the “Circular Tour of Bad Kleinkirchheim” (Rundweg Bad Kleinkirchheim) leading from the thermal bath St.Kathrein...

Author: Verena Schneider
A column of cars is winding up the road from Bad Kleinkkirchheim to St.Oswald. I‘m in the middle of it, and am quite amazed as the Friesengestüt Nockalm appears from behind the Hill. All around me cars are piled up … and all of them are swarming to the „Festival of Baroque Horses“, which takes place every year on the third Sunday of August.
Ok, I‘ll admit, I like...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
I must say, there was something ancient about it, the way the men shouldered their scythes early in the morning to march up the steep fields of the Grubenbauer Alm. It gave me goose bumps, which were not only because of the cold weather, seeing as it had rained severely the night before.
It’s hard work to cut and “dump” the hay on the fields, which means to spread the...

Author: Markus Patscheider

According to an old legend, a mysterious treasure is hidden high above Bad Kleinkirchheim on Kaiser Mountain. The pastry shop ‘Hutter’ took it upon itself more than a decade ago to bring this treasure down to the valley, to pour it in chocolate and to share it with their guests. A true creation of bitter chocolate, champagne marzipan and dark- truffle paste was...

Author: Markus Patscheider
„Every day you can sit outside there, but you know that you have to go down in the dark.“ This is the sentence that Sepp Pulverer, the innkeeper of the Kaiser Mountain at approx. 2,000 m altitude told me. You could see his love for the mountains in his eyes and you notice that he got sadder and sadder as he talked about closing hour at 4pm and having to go back down...

Author: Verena Schneider

For some time now the term „healing landscape“ has been going around Bad Kleinkirchheim. But what exactly does that mean? That’s what I wanted to find out, and so I joined a small group for a hike through the „healing landscape“. The region becomes a walking experience with the motto „the journey is its own reward“. 19 signs around Bad Kleinkirchheim bid you to...

Author: Brigitte Kaplenig
The words ‘Bad Kleinkirchheim’ and ‘healing water’ are inseparable. Nowadays when thinking of these things, one naturally thinks about St.Kathrein and Römerbad , who provide an extensive range of Wellness for those longing for relaxation. And there is a very special and idyllic place which has been known for a long time for its healing water - the Kathreinkirchlein and...

Author: Markus Patscheider
He sits hour after hour without moving on his raised blind, his “weapon” ready and waiting. He’s waiting for just the right moment. Suddenly rustling in the branches and there he is: a powerful stag, as commanding as he is graceful. You only have to get him into your sights and fire. But instead of a bullet, the shiny fur is only hit by the light of the flash. The...

Author: Verena Schneider
From an early age, fish were something that fascinated Siegfried Gruber from Reichenau. What started off as a hobby, ended up being Austria’s highest aqua-culture. Two years ago, he decided to turn his hobby into a business. Actually he’s a carpenter, but his customers just liked his fish too much…and so he went for the adventure of becoming self-employed.
The fish farm...

Author: Markus Böheim
Who doesn’t know those colors - gold, red, yellow, green, brown….all of which you can find here in the Nock Mountains now. Fall has arrived here. For me it’s an exceptional time for long walks in the National Park. Now is the time to experience the uniqueness of the Nockberg region in its entirety. When I’m underway as a caretaker, we feel the specialness of nature...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
“You’ll see my car when you come up the Nockalm street”, Peter Schmölzer tells me. “I hope I don’t sound too ‘Klagenfurt-ish’”, I think on the other end of the line. But Peter was right. Not far from the legendary Reidn 49 (you can get to the Brubenbauer-Alp from there) I see his forest-green SUV. And as I see the telltale fuel canister (for the chain saw) standing next...

Author: Markus Böheim
It doesn’t have to be summer, spring or autumn for you to experience an unforgettable hike.
Finally - the first snow, something we have eagerly been waiting for. And as we have seen, the cold season is perfect for hikers.
Right now, during the time of the first snowfall, a romantic hike can be a welcome thing to do. Here in Bad Kleinkirchheim we have lots of possibilities...

Author: Brigitte Kaplenig
…creates the professional! Anna, Clara und Felix, Maxi, Thomas, Max and Moritz, Frankie, Manuel and Florian all showed up, on time and highly motivated, to their training session – armed with clubs, hula hoops and traffic cones. The last items weren’t there as a new form of adventure golfing (although…maybe some hula-hooping wouldn’t be bad for increasing the...

Author: Markus Patscheider
„My name’s BOBO and I’m from the South Pole. After a very long journey, I’ve finally arrived here in Bad Kleinkirchheim to be with all the children” … this is how I was greeted by a penguin who looked, by the way, to be in a pretty good mood. BOBO is the mascot of the children’s ski school Krainer / Wulschnig. He’s pretty much part of everything – teaching, racing and...

Authore: Ed Wohlfahrt
There is an herb for each ailment. That’s what I learned on my guided herb walk, and I got to know the various usages for these local wild herbs. Those underway with a person as experienced with herbs as Birgit from the Nockberge National Park, will begin to look at the plants on the roadside with different eyes.
So now I know, amongst many other things, that wild herbs...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
The pressure at the beginning of the season is pretty high, says Otmar Mitter and Manfred Liegl agrees wholeheartedly. All the cross-country ski fans call at the same time, wanting to know if the tracks in Bad Kleinkirchheim are ready yet. At that time, usually just before Xmas, the co-workers at the county building-yard are already working feverishly to finish the tracks....

Author: Stefan Heinisch
It’s leaning pitifully against the shelves in my office at the Tourismusverband Bad Kleinkirchheim, far away from the challenging bike-trails of the Nock Mountains. The saddle, far too low and not adjusted correctly at all, reveals the real purpose of my bicycle, which has gone through an awful lot with me since its birth at the KTM works in 2003. But our relationship...

Author: Verena Patscheier
It snowed the last two days. Now we have a romantic winter world glittering in front of us. The air is clear and although the thermostat tells us that it’s -12ºC, it feels warmer in the sun. We’re underway with Birgit from the Nock Mountains National Park Management. During a 3 hour snow shoe tour, she’s going to introduce us to the wintry secrets of the soft Nock...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
“Whoever goes, will take a trip inside himself”, so they say. That’s what I re-experienced just a few days ago, walking from the Grundalm to the Nockalm-road, over the Wolitzenalm-homestead towards Pfann-Nock. It was in the early hours and so I was all alone on the mountain when the rays of the rising sun comfortably touched my back. A bit later, it was the same sun that...

Author: Brigitte Kaplenig
It’s difficult, in a way, to describe a place like Sagamundo, seeing as it lives from feelings, dreams and astonishment. It’s a place that offers individual experiences for everybody, a place where grown-ups become kids, and kids find a place that speaks their language of fantasy.
As soon as you pass the sculpture “The Giant’s Watering Hand” at the appealing and...

Author: Verena Schneider
A special sort of Spa Gardens is located across from the Thermal Baths of St. Kathrein, right in the middle of Bad Kleinkirchheim. Visitors are not just invited to take walks here. The Wasserix-Sensation Park ‘Amistad’, which is divided into a playing-experiencing area and a relaxing-spa area, offers nature and ‘sensation experiencing for all ages.
While the little...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
You’ll want to yell “Let the games begin!” when you arrive at the Tennis Park “Zur Einkehr” in Bad Kleinkirchheim. Located in the center of town, the courts offer everything the tennis heart could possibly desire. But that was not always the case, at least not in terms of the surface. A couple of days ago the surface got a new lease on life. Winter had left obvious traces...

Author: Markus Patscheider
The smooth and slippery ice shines in the glow of the flood lights. The smell of hot tea in the ice cold winter air and the steam from the cups creates subtle wafts of mist.
Suddenly a disk attached to a stick slides by me, hits a second one and shoves it from the ice. The quiet of the night is abruptly broken by screams of joy and loud laughter. This fascination,...

Author: Verena Schneider
Sigi Grabner, world cup winner 2009/2010 and Olympic bronze medal winner in Turin 2006, is Carinthia’s number one snow board personality. What most people don’t know: everything began in his home in Saureggen, Ebene Reichenau. His parent’s house is the Hochsinner, Carinthia’s highest mountain farm, situated at 1,616 m. So the slopes of Bad Kleinkirchheim, St. Oswald...

Author: Ed Wohlfahrt
There was a lot going on during those days around the New Year. Maybe I noticed it because I generally prefer quieter spots in January. St. Lorenzen, between the village of Ebene Reichenau and Hochrindl is just such a spot. In addition, there’s a path starting in Kircherl which brings hikers (or ski mountaineers) first to the little and then to the big Speikkofel (2,270 m)....

A VISIT WITH ICE MASTER JAKOB
„Hi, I’m Jakob“, said Jakob Obergriessnig as I walked into the tennis club room. A few minutes and a cup of coffee later, I began to realize who I was talking to here: to refer to Jakob simply as a groundkeeper would be close to an insult. When it comes to ice skating, curling and tennis here in Bad Kleinkirchheim, he’s an institution. And I’m not kidding.
The fact...