Ice reservoir St. Lambrecht (circular trail)

The circular route “Ice Dam St. Lambrecht” leads through the area around the town of the same name. In the last part of the cold period, there was an ice reservoir initially five kilometers long in the high valley. The fascinating evidence of the former ice reservoir is still impressively visible at the three experience points on the circular route.

The landscape of the Zirbitzkogel-Grebenzen Nature Park owes its current appearance to the processes of the Ice Age. The last cold period of the Ice Age ended around 10,500 years ago. The mighty ice masses of that time sustainably shaped the Neumarkt pass landscape and the high valley of St. Lambrecht. The temperature fluctuations also led to drastic changes in fauna, flora and people.

On the EISZEIT island in Oberdorf (Mariahof) you can understand and marvel at the different topics. On the ICE AGE ISLAND, the most important topics about the Ice Age and the landscape-shaping effect of the Mur Glacier in the nature park are shown through information boards and some interactive stations. The EISZEIT island in Oberdorf not only serves as an information platform, but is also the starting point for the two circular hiking trails “Off through the ground moraine” and “The glacier in the cul-de-sac”. In St. Lambrecht, the circular route “Ice Dam St. Lambrecht” invites you to follow the traces of the Ice Age. Information boards were erected that reported on the glacial processes. Three circular routes and the “Geocache” experience lead through the landscape shaped by the Ice Age and show forms of erosion and embankment as well as the remains of a mighty 5 km long ice reservoir.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

easy

Level of difficulty

3,8 km

Route

1:02 h

Time

100 hm

Uphill

100 hm

Downhill

1075 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

Download KML data

More information

By car from Germany

From Munich via the A8 towards Salzburg. From Salzburg on the A10 Tauernautobahn to St. Michael im Lungau. On the B 96 to Tamsweg, then on the B 95 to Predlitz. The B 97 leads via Stadl/Mur to Murau. There at the roundabout towards St. Lambrecht to Murauer train station and further towards St. Lambrecht. You reach St. Lambrecht via Laßnitz near Murau. The monastery is located in the town center.

Arrival from Eastern Austria/Hungary

At the motorway junction in St. Michael near Leoben, take the S 36 towards Klagenfurt. Past Knittelfeld and Judenburg to Scheifling. In Scheifling continue towards Klagenfurt to Neumarkt, via Unzmarkt and Perchau am Sattel you reach Neumarkt. Turn right there towards Mariahof and St. Lambrecht. In Mariahof, after the railway crossing, turn left towards St. Lambrecht. The monastery is located in the center of St. Lambrecht.

Arrival from southern Austria/Italy

Via Klagenfurt on the S 37 past St. Veit/Glan, Treibach and Friesach. In Friesach continue towards Vienna, via Dürnstein and Wildbad to Neumarkt. After the town center of Neumarkt turn left towards Murau, in Mariahof turn left after the railway crossing towards St. Lambrecht. The monastery is located in the center of St. Lambrecht.

The tour starts at the viewing platform in front of the school in St. Lambrecht in a clockwise direction. It immediately goes slightly downhill towards the suburb. At a small intersection, follow the signs and at the end of the street you reach the main street over a small bridge, where you turn left. After about 50 m, turn right and go uphill to a small terraced landscape with the “Ice Dam Terraces” experience point. You walk along the ice reservoir terrace, enjoy the view of the town of St. Lambrecht and cross the Kühbach over a bridge. The hiking trail branches off to the right and shortly after the large parking lot on the right is the entrance to a gorge with the “Drowned Moraine” experience point on the left. Go back to the hiking trail and reach the main road behind St. Lambrecht Abbey, which you follow towards the town until you reach the turnoff to Grebenzen. After about 150 m on the road towards Grebenzen, turn left and come to a meadow with a view of the Pabstinteich and the “Bändetone” station. The path then leads well signposted and slightly uphill back to the starting point. Alternatively, St. Lambrecht offers many culinary and cultural specialties.

The following restaurants are located along the way:

Gasthof-Restaurant Torwirt
Marktcafe Pristovnik
Eiszeit - homemade ice cream and more
Stifterl Inn

With the BusBahnBim app from the interconnected line, timetable information is easier than ever before: all bus, train and tram connections in Austria can be queried by entering locations and/or addresses, stops or important points. The app is available as a free app for smartphones (Android, iOS) - on Google Play and in the App Store.

ÖBB www.oebb.at | Styria connection line www.busbahnbim.at

Public parking spaces are available directly at St. Lambrecht Abbey or at the market pond.

The ideal time for this tour is from April to October. Information brochures are available at the various information offices.