4th Stage: Niedervintl - Neustift - Franzensfeste
Proof that a church dedicated to St. James is not always to be found along a pilgrimage route is shown if we make the detour from Niedervintl up to the Church of St. James in Meransen, as long as no-one is frightened of heights. There too, even though the church is dedicated to St. James, we are greeted from afar by the second greatest patron saint of travellers, St. Christopher, depicted on the external wall standing in the sea and surrounded by fabulous creatures as he is in Nasen. It is said that he who dies on the day he sets eyes on St. Christopher will be led straight through purgatory to Heaven by the saint. This is illustrated in the gigantic paintings of St. Christopher on the outside walls of these churches, and for those going to work in the early morning in the fi elds, it is the first thing they see.
The path into the valley, which we share with cyclists, leads to the Mühlbacher Klause, a fortress built in 1472 by Duke Sigmund von Tirol and which, like the Lienz fortress and Bruneck castle, functioned as a border fortifi cation. The last time it was the scene of a bloody battle was during the Tyrolean War of Independence of 1809, today the restored ruins serve as a peaceful cultural and community centre.
The path into the valley, which we share with cyclists, leads to the Mühlbacher Klause, a fortress built in 1472 by Duke Sigmund von Tirol and which, like the Lienz fortress and Bruneck castle, functioned as a border fortifi cation. The last time it was the scene of a bloody battle was during the Tyrolean War of Independence of 1809, today the restored ruins serve as a peaceful cultural and community centre.
Mühlbach’s Gothic Parish Church of St. Helena – a very rare patronage – with its beautiful frescoes both external and internal, and the late Gothic cemetery Chapel of St. Florian, form a unique group, so beautiful it is difficult to leave it behind.
If you head for the Brenner on the direct route, not visiting Neustift (and Brixen), you should carry on from the 5th Station along the Way of the Cross, which ends just before Aicha at the pilgrimage chapel in the pine forest. The "Stöcklvater" Chapel (18th century), a local place of pilgrimage especially during Sundays in Lent, gives us a chance to stop for a while. Going through Aicha (late Gothic Church of St. Nicholas) and along another track by the Franzensfeste reservoir and into the town, we come to a railway junction, important since the end of the 19th century.
If you want to visit Neustift and Brixen – and there are many good reasons for doing so – stop at the 5th Station, turn left down the mountain, and cross the bridge over the Puster Valley main road towards Schabs. Continuing along Hiking trail 8, then straight along the little road and from the Gasthof Strasser along the trail 4 down and to the right, we fi nally arrive at Neustift in little more than an hour. Neustift Abbey, with its famous Gothic cloister and Baroque Hospital Church, was founded in 1142 by the beatifi ed Bishop Hartmann and was converted into a military stronghold in the 16th century from fear of the Turks. Here we can admire the early and late Gothic frescoes both in the cloisters – where incidentally the medieval Tyrolean troubadour Oswald von Wolkenstein is buried – and in the Romanesque Chapel of St. Victor, whilst the circular Romanesque Chapel of St. Michael, also called “Engelsburg” or “Angel Castle”, built outside the abbey walls, is still a bit of a mystery. The shape of the Romanesque Engelsburg, and the fact that it is situated outside, suggests that it was built as accommodation for pilgrims.
Since we are already in Neustift, we really must visit the medieval Cathedral city of Brixen and the unique area around the Cathedral, which is only a half hour walk further on to the south. The cathedral buildings make up a fantastic work of art which absolutely must be seen, the cloisters, the Church of St. John, the Bishop’s Palace and the old cemetery combine all the architectural styles from the Romanesque to the late Baroque.
But back to the route: after the Abbey we cross the Eisack over the old bridge, turn to the right and travel along Trail 1 crossing over the main road and under the motorway, until we reach Lake Vahrn. Going around the lake’s eastern bank we come to a cycle path parallel to the motorway and take that to Franzensfeste. This place was named after the gigantic fortress, built between 1833 and 1839 by the Emperor Franz I of Austria, but which was never used for warlike purposes.
Time:
Niedervintl > Mühlbach: 1 ½ hrs.
Mühlbach > Neustift: 1 ¾ hrs.
Neustift > Franzensfeste: 1 ¾ hrs.
Distance:
16.7 km
Height difference:
Ascent: 478 m
Descent: 497 m
Information and accommodation:
TOURISM BOARD EISACKTAL
Großer Graben 26 a - I-39042 Brixen
Tel. +39 0472 802 232
www.eisacktal.info - info@eisacktal.info
Tourist Office Gitschberg-Jochtal
Katharina-Lanz-Str. 90 - I-39037 Mühlbach
Tel. +39 0472 849 467
www.gitschberg-jochtal.com - info@gitschberg-jochtal.com
Tourist Office Brixen
Bahnhofstraße 9 - I-39042 Brixen
Tel. +39 0472 836 401
www.brixen.org - info@brixen.org