Page 174 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

172  A USTRIA REGION b y REGION

displays, and it has a splendid ducal residence. The town’s
Alpine garden on 90,000 sq m loveliest building is the late-
(107,000 sq ft) of land, stocked Gothic Kornmesser haus, built for
with some 10,000 species from the ironmonger Kornmess. It has
around the world. open arcades on the ground
floor and a first-floor loggia.
Environs: A short way to A small distance away, on
the west, in Adriach, is the the other side of the Mur,
St Georgskirche, church of stands St Rupert’s church, with
St George, with an altarpiece a superb Last Judgement fresco
of the martyrdom of St George (1420), uncovered in the 1930s.
and four frescoes in the main Above the town rise the ruins
nave by Josef Adam von Mölk. of Landskron fortress, whose
only remaining feature is the
5 Bruck an der Mur bell tower.
Road map F4. * 16,000. £ @
The astonishing Lurgrotte caves close n Koloman-Wallisch-Platz 1 (03862)
to Peggau 890-121. _ Murenschalk (2nd Thu
and Fri in Aug).
3 Lurgrotte
This major industrial centre lies
Road map F4. £ n (03127) 2580.
Open Apr–Oct: 10am–4pm daily at the mouth of the Mürz river,
(3pm at from Peggau). & 8 on the where it flows into the Mur. Bruck
hour (more frequently in summer); flourished during the 14th and
Adventure Tours in winter by request 15th centuries, thanks to its trade
(0680 232 4281).∑ lurgrotte.com with Venice, when it had the right
to store grain and salt. The small
The Lurgrotte is the largest and but attractive old town in the fork
most interesting cave in Austria, of the Mürz and Mur rivers dates
with superb stalactites and from this period. Bruck was
stalagmites. Starting at the once a town of blacksmiths and
entrance at either Peggau or their works are now its chief Poster from the Winter Sports Museum
Semriach, guides lead visitors historical attractions. On the in Mürzzuschlag
through this world of icy wonders, main square stands an iron well
along an underground stream. (1626) by the local master, Hans 6 Mürzzuschlag
The largest dripstone, 13 m Prasser, sporting an intricate Road map F4. * 9,000. £
(43 ft) tall, is nicknamed the wrought-iron canopy. The n Wiener Strasse 9 (03852) 3399.
“Giant” (der Riese). A railway parish church of Mariä Geburt
takes you there from Semriach. features an interesting door This town on the Mürz at the
(1500) to the vestry, a beautiful foot of Semmering Mountain
example of Styrian metalwork. is Austria’s oldest winter sports
4 Frohnleiten This Gothic church was later resort. In 1893, Mürzzuschlag
Road map F4. * 6,500. £ @ altered in the Baroque style. hosted the first skiing
n (03126) 2374. ∑ frohnleiten.or.at The former Minorite church has competitions in the Alps, and
several important 14th-century in 1934 it was the venue for
Set among gentle hills on frescoes. In the main square, the Nordic Games that later
the Mur river, the town of Koloman-Wallisch-Platz, stands became the Winter Olympics.
Frohnleiten is surrounded by the town hall with an attractive The town’s first historic
a network of clearly marked arcaded courtyard, in a former records date from 1469,
rambling trails which invite
visitors to take long walks.
At one time Frohnleiten was
an important transhipment post
on the Mur. In 1763, the town
almost burned to the ground in
a fire. Sights worth visiting
include the Servite monastery
and the parish church with
Rococo figures in the altarpiece
by Veit Königer and ceiling fres-
coes by Josef Adam von Mölk.
Frohnleiten has won several
awards for its impressive flower Ruins of Landskron Castle rising above Bruck an der Mur
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp295–6 and pp318–20

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Eyewitness Travel LAYERS PRINTED:
Catalogue template “UK” LAYER
(Source v2.1)
Date 5th December 2012
Size 125mm x 217mm