Stage 05 Hemma Pilgrimage Route Murau-St. Lambrecht

Starting from Schillerplatz in Murau, we follow Liechtensteinstraße, cross the railway station bridge, and continue along Bahnhofstraße to the Mur Valley Railway. After crossing the tracks, we keep left and head towards Laßnitzbach. Shortly after passing the Murau town sign, we follow the signpost for “No. 11 – Styrian Circular Hiking Trail (STLRWW) St. Lambrecht”. This trail leads directly to St. Lambrecht.

Beyond Laßnitzbach, the route climbs steadily along a farm access road past the farmsteads Wirt am Stein, Joslbauer (snack station), and Rainer to the Grillschmied farm. From there, forest trails continue uphill to the Taler Eck at 1,642 metres. The trail then descends past the Feichtner farm to St. Lambrecht. After crossing the Talbach stream and passing the local tennis courts, we arrive directly at the abbey. St. Lambrecht is also the starting point of another pilgrimage route, the “Mariazeller Gründerweg”, which leads to Mariazell.

The abbey church of St. Lambrecht has had three predecessor buildings in the course of its history. As early as the 11th century, there was already a “Church of Saint Lambert in the Forest”. Later, it was replaced by a Romanesque church consecrated in 1160. After a fire in 1262, a new church was built on the remaining stone walls. The present Gothic hall church was consecrated in 1421. Its interior offers an impressive overview of 17th-century art. The high altar was created between 1627 and 1632 by Valentin Khautt, while the Benedict altar was made in 1638 by Christoph Paumgartner of Neumarkt.

Many important cultural developments in Steiermark originated from St. Lambrecht. In the mid-12th century, one of Austria’s most significant Marian shrines, Mariazell, was founded from here, as was the Chapel of Saint Hemma near Edelschrott in Southern Styria.

Informations about the whole Hemma Pilgrimage Trail

Accessible by train and bus: detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

Steiermark Tourismus, Tel. +43 316 40030, www.steiermark.com

TV Region Murau, Tel. +43 3532 2720, www.regionmurau.at