Stage 02 Hemma Pilgrimage Route Lassing-Donnersbachwald

Under the patronage of Saint Hemma, today’s route leads from Lassing along the so-called “Schattenberg Hiking Trail” through the villages of Wieden, Schattenberg, Ödstein, and Stein to Döllach. Our next destination is Irdning. To reach our stage destination in Donnersbachwald, we follow hiking trail no. 4. Upon arriving at the church, it is time to say: Bravo, you made it!

Saint Hemma was born around 980 as Countess of Friesach-Zeltschach. Her charity work and numerous foundations made her widely known among the local population. With her wealth, she founded the Benedictine monasteries of Gurk and Admont.

Irdning, a picturesque village at the foot of the mighty Grimming mountain, was first mentioned in 1140 as “Idenich”. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul was documented in 1145 and is one of the oldest churches in the upper Enns Valley. The parish, originally subordinate to the former canons’ monastery of Rottenmann, was first mentioned in 1151 and once counted two later popes, Pius II and Pius III, among its parish priests. Most of the church furnishings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Falkenburg Hunting Lodge in Irdning was built in 1615. Count Sigismund Welsersheim donated the castle to the Capuchins and had it converted into a monastery in 1711. Today, Falkenburg serves as a retreat centre.

An important historic trade route once connected the Enns Valley with the Mur Valley via the Glattjoch pass. Schloss Donnersbach, visible from afar, stands on a steep hill above the village of the same name. The castle consists of two wings connected by an archway. The castle church of Saint Giles, integrated into the main wing, was expanded in 1786 and elevated to parish church status. Parts of the former fortifications, including sections of the moat and ring wall, are still preserved.

Nestled in the mountains of the Niedere Tauern, Donnersbachwald lies at an altitude of 1,000 metres in the upper Donnersbach Valley. The parish church of Saint Leonard was built in 1753/54 on the orders of Empress Maria Theresa, who is said to have known and appreciated the area personally. Until then, the villagers had to make the long journey to Irdning to attend Sunday Mass. The high altar features a depiction of the Virgin Mary with Child, flanked by Saints Leonard and Patrick. The altar painting was created by the renowned Rococo painter Johann Josef Karl Henrici. The side altar contains the revered image “Mary of Good Counsel”.