ST14 AAT: Döbriach - Langalmtal

The present day town of Döbriach has developed at the foot of the “world mountain”, the Mirnock, and this is where the 12th stage of the Alpe Adria Trail starts. The myths and legends surrounding the giant of the Mirnock can be discovered in a multimedia presentation at Sagamundo, the house of tales. From Döbriach you will hike to the urban municipality of Radenthein, the entrance to the Nockberge biosphere reserve. In Radenthein you should not miss the Granatium, where you can search for and find the “firestone of love”, as the ruby red garnet is also known, in the prospecting centre.

The trail continues on the mill hiking trail, which is around 3 kilometres long and where your nostrils will be filled with the scent of the nearby medicinal herb garden. The soft forest soil under your feet conveys a liberating lightness, while the splashing of the nearby stream joins in the rhythm which nature has tried and tested for centuries. Older residents of Kaning will still remember the sounds of the clunking of the mills and the hoisting of the sharp jet of water to drive them. There were once 22 mills standing in the Roßbachgraben rift, and six of them are still turning. Take your shoes off at the Türkhaus at the start of the mill and Kneipp trail, and within just a few minutes you will plunge into nature with all your senses. Your feet will seek the path through the forest carefully and cautiously at first, and then faster with time while they tingle and tickle as the forest soil pleasantly massages them ... The tour leads past the 6 mills and numerous Kneipp pools, in which you can cool your hands and feet, to the Erlacherhaus Alpine guesthouse, your destination on this stage.

We start in Döbriach, where at Sagamundo, the house of tales, myths and legends to do with the Mirnock giant are told and can be enjoyed via multimedia presentations. From here we hike to the urban municipality of Radenthein, the entrance to the Nockberge biosphere reserve. Here in Radenthein you must not miss the Granatium, where you can search for and find the “firestone of love”, as the ruby red garnet is also known, in the prospecting centre.

From the Granatium the hiking trail leads us northwards towards Kaning. The Türkhaus is the starting point for the Kneipp and mill hiking trail, which will lead us into the Langalm Valley. Walking past the herb and flower gardens, the mini-mill and the Neuwirt mill (a show mill) we reach the bakery, go past the various mills to the Veidlmühle mill and the stone shower, then we pass the Bärenwand climbing wall and come to the trapper’s hut and the Adammühle mill. We return on the other side of the stream. If you choose to take the path from the Adammühle into the Langalm Valley, after around 30 minutes’ walk you will reach the Aichholzerhütte lodge, where you simply must stop for something to eat. A hearty snack served on a wooden board, cheese and dairy products taste especially good after this hike. Special things to watch out for: the Neuwirt twin mills (bread baking courses once a week), barbecue sites (where you can barbecue the food you have brought with you), Kneipp pools and places of energy and power, newly constructed wooden well, display boards. We then walk comfortably past the Petodnighütte lodge and through a light larch forest to the Erlacherhaus.