Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Gurk
04266 / POP 1280
This small town (Krka in Slovenian), some 18km west of the Friesach-Klagenfurt road,
8236; Domplatz 11; combined tours adult/child
€6.20/5.70; 9am-7pm, Sunday service 10-10.45am, combined 70-minute tours Dom, crypt & Bischofskapelle
10.30am, 1.30pm & 3pm)
, which was built between 1140 and 1200 and still operates as a
church. With its harmonious pillared crypt, this is Austria's foremost church from the
Romanesque epoch. Inside you will also find Gothic reticulated vaulting, and most of the
church fittings are either baroque or rococo. The early-baroque high altar has a startling
72 statues and 82 angel heads.
The frescoes in the
Bischofskapelle
(Episcopal Chapel; adult/child €3.70/2.90; guided tours 11.20pm,
2.20pm & 3.50pm)
, dating from around 1200, are all the more beautiful for the use of raw col-
ours.
Visit on a weekday if using public transport - an 8.04am train from Klagenfurt to
Treibach-Althofen connects with a bus (€11.90, 1¾ hours). Returning, the last bus from
Gurk leaves at 6.06pm. With your own transport, take Hwy 93.
MOUNTAIN BIKING
Mountain bikers should pick up a copy of
The Best Bicycle & Bike Tours
from the tourist office in Hermagor.
This gives an overview of trails, including an 11.7km downhill trail from the top of the Millennium-Express
cable car to the Gmanberg station. Bikes are carried free of charge but can also be hired at the valley station.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Hüttenberg
04263 / POP 1800
Step off the bus in the tiny mining village of Hüttenberg and you might be forgiven for
thinking you've stumbled into Tibet, for here you see fluttering prayer flags rising up the
cliff. Hüttenberg is the birthplace of Heinrich Harrer, who famously spent seven years in
Tibet and was immortalised by Brad Pitt in film.
