Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
96; )
has an eclectic mix of historic and modern rooms in a 400-year-old building right
in the heart of Gmünd. It also has a restaurant (mains €8.90 to €17.90) serving tasty local
fare.
The
tourist office
( 22 1514;
www.familiental.com
;
Hauptplatz 20; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat,
closed Sat Sep-Jun)
has an excellent sheet map of town in English, German and Italian, with
sights and galleries numbered and briefly explained.
Getting There & Away
Gmünd is not on a rail route; one to two hourly buses connect it with Spittal an der Drau
(€4.40, 30 minutes) from Monday to Friday.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Spittal an der Drau
04762 / POP 15,770
Spittal is an important economic and administrative centre in upper Carinthia. Its name
comes from a 12th-century hospital and refuge that once succoured travellers on this site.
Today it's a town with an impressive Italianate palace at its centre and a small attractive
park with splashing fountains and bright flower beds.
Sights
Schloss Porcia & Museum für Volkskultur
(Local Heritage Museum;
www.museum-spittal.com
; adult/child €8/4; 9am-6pm daily mid-Apr-mid-Oct, 1-4pm
Mon-Thu mid-Oct-mid-Apr; )
Boasting an eye-catching Renaissance edifice, Schloss Porcia
was built between 1533 and 1597 by the fabulously named Graf von Salamanca-Orten-
burg. Inside, Italianate arcades run around a central courtyard used for summer theatre
performances. The top floors contain the enormous Local Heritage Museum, which has
lots of displays about Carinthia and 3-D projections, such as a virtual navigation through
the Hohe Tauern National Park.
PALACE, MUSEUM
Goldeck
MOUNTAIN
