WAB - Regional Route G: Kirchberg/Wechsel - Mönichkirchner Schwaig

Description

This hike promises an atmospheric crossing of the heavily forested Kampsteiner Schwaig summit, the highest part of this hike, over the Wechsel. A splendid panorama can be viewed here. Above all, a quaint, rural, cultivated landscape in perfect harmony enchants everyone who sees it. The renowned mountainside pilgrimage village of St. Corona is visited on this route, as well as Mariensee, which is essentially a colony of lumberjacks. Mönichkirchner Schwaig, where the mountain station chairlift is located, is the destination. It is essentially a base camp for further exploration of the Hochwechsel halfway up the mountain.

Starting point of the tour

Kirchberg / Wechsel municipal office

Destination point of the tour

Mönichkirchner Schwaig mountain station chairlift

Route description WAB - Regional Route G: Kirchberg/Wechsel - Mönichkirchner Schwaig

Regional Route G starts in the centre of Kirchberg/Wechsel. The first few metres start eastwards on the Hauptstraße towards Gasthof St. Wolfgang, shortly afterwards we turn right over Feistritzbrücke bridge. Alternatively, go south to the Feistritz river from the start and continue along the path alongside this river to the aforementioned bridge. We follow the road and when we reach no. 78, we turn right and head towards Molzbachhof. Go directly past the entrance to Molzbachhof, head past an old water wheel, and then continue along a slightly uphill road to Gymnasium Sachsenbrunn. When at the car park, we keep right and follow the hiking route towards St. Corona. We ascend up a forest path, hike along the edge of a row of trees to a track, and then turn left onto a road. After going past a chapel and a farmhouse, we come across a crossroads. At this point, we turn right onto an uphill hiking path heading for St. Corona. The centre of St. Corona is just after the cemetery. We turn right towards the church, then turn left onto a mountain road and keep left soon afterwards. A few minutes later, we leave the paved road and turn sharply right towards the mountain station for the summer toboggan run. We now go uphill through the forest, sometimes with the summer toboggan run alongside us. After the mountain station, we head past Gasthof-Pension (B&B/ hostel) Orthof and then turn right onto the Ameisenpfad trail after the children’s playground. We hike up the former skiing piste to Panoramateich lake, wander past the adventure playground, and continue to follow the hiking route towards Kampsteiner Schwaig. Head past Rettungshaus (rescue house) Markus and the Almrauschhütte and follow the slightly uphill forest path towards Antrittstein and Kampsteiner Schwaig. When at the Schwaig, we go through a crossroads and follow the downhill path, marked in green, towards Mariensee. Shadowy forest paths lead us across a forest road several times heading downhill towards three crosses. This provides views of Mönichkirchner Schwaig, but there’s still a descent and ascent to master first.

 

After going past the three crosses, we continue on a track heading south-east for a short period and then turn right onto the meadow after a few metres. We now walk downhill through the meadow, focusing on the small copse of trees in the middle of the island, then walk past it on the right and then continue downhill directly on the fall line. Next, we head through a turnstile and hike down the next meadow, then at the end of it turn left onto a cart track and pass through a pasture gate. At this point we turn directly onto the access road to Hof Leitenbauer and follow the path around the estate. A route marked out in green leads us down the road to Mariensee. We walk downhill along the road through Mariensee and upon reaching Gasthof Reiterer turn right to cross over the Großer Pestingbach stream. At the next fork, keep right and turn right onto the cart track into the forest at the next farmhouse. We follow the hiking route uphill, sometimes through dense forest, up to a gravel track. This leads us, with views of the valley, uphill to a hairpin bend, which we follow via a meadow path. Shortly afterwards we turn sharply right, go uphill, then turn left onto the hiking route to Mönichkirchner Schwaig. We go beneath the cables of a lift, head past a farmyard and then come to a fork in the road. The initially flat route on the left is the one to Mönichkirchner Schwaig. We then briefly walk through a ditch and ascend to the mountain station at Mönichkirchner Schwaig. Regional Route G ends here.

 

Overnight stays are possible at Alpengasthof Enzian. From here, you can either take the Viennese Alps trail to the Hochwechsel summit or head off in the opposite direction downhill to Mönichkirchen and the bus stop there. Less arduous descents to Mönichkirchen are possible with the cable car or a scooter.