Page 281 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

C arinthia and East t y rol  279

courtyard surrounded by two- of St Andrew, and in Sagritz
storey arcades. This was built the originally late-Gothic
in the 16th century, when the church of St George. Schloss
abbey was run by the Order Falkenstein, near Obervellach,
of St George. The monastery has an unusual tower with a
is linked with the church by a wooden top.
12th-century cloister whose
pillars, decorated by medieval y Lienz
carvers, display a grotesque
world of animals, plants and Road map D5. * 12,000. @ £
faces. Even older, dating back n Europaplatz 1 (050212) 400.
to the Carolingian period, are
the magical ornaments on the The town has been the capital
old buildings, possibly repre- of East Tyrol since 1919 but its
senting some pagan spells. ori gins date back to the Middle
An eye-catching feature inside Ages. The Stadtpfarrkirche
the church is the Romanesque An alley in Gmünd, famous for its former St Andrä (parish church of
portal, made by master craft- Porsche factory St Andrew), a triple-nave Gothic
sman Rudger in 1170. In the basilica, was built in the 15th
side chapels are the red marble the former castle keep houses a century; western sections include
tombs of the Order’s Grand school and a concert hall. parts of an earlier Romanesque
Masters. Also worth seeing The Austrian-born designer church. Today, following many
is a fresco from 1519, depicting Ferdinand Porsche worked in alterations, the church is predom-
the Last Judgement. Gmünd in 1944–50, and 52 of inantly Baroque in style. Inside
the classic “365” models were are a fresco by Josef Adam von
hand-made locally. The most Mölk and a high altar by Franz
famous models and construction Engel. The Franziskanerkirche
frames are displayed in the (Franciscan church), built around
Porsche Museum. 1350, features original 15th-
century frescoes and a Gothic
E Porsche Museum Pietà standing by a side altar.
Gmünd. Tel (04732) 2471. High above the town sits
Open 15 May–15 Oct: 9am–6pm, Schloss Bruck, the seat of the
16 Oct–14 May: 10am–4pm. Görz Counts, built between
∑ porschemuseum.at. the 13th and 16th centuries.
The castle has a tall Romanesque
turret; its main body contains
t Mölltal a Romanesque chapel with
Road map D5. @ £ 13th- and 15th-century frescoes.
Courtyard of the Benedictine Abbey Today it also houses a regional
in Millstatt The Möll river, a tributary of museum with Gothic and
the Drau and overshadowed Baroque artifacts and paintings
by Grosses Reisseck peak, runs by the local Tyrolean artist Albin
r Gmünd along the Mölltal, a valley whose Egger-Lienz (1868–1926).
Road map D5. * 2,600. @ upper reaches form a natural
n Hauptplatz 20 (04732) 221514. extension of the magnificent
road known as Grossglockner
In the 12th century, the Hochalpenstrasse. The river
Archbishops of Salzburg who meanders scenically between
ruled Gmünd began to encircle the high mountain peaks.
the town with mighty fortifi- The road along the valley,
cations, many of which survive starting in Winklern, is an
to this day, including old gate important transit route between
turrets and bastions. Two castles Carinthia at one end and Lienz
tower over the town: the older and the Dolomites at the other,
one, Altes Schloss, was destroyed winding its way between old
by a fire in 1886, but was mills, waterfalls and huts.
restored and is now used as a The parish of Grosskirchheim
cultural centre. It was commis- was once a major mining district,
sioned in 1506 by Archbishop and the 16th-century Schloss
Leonhard von Keutschach. Grosskirchheim now houses
The Neues Schloss (New Castle) an interesting mining museum.
was built in 1651–4 by Count In Döllach you can see the The Romanesque tower of Schloss Bruck
Christoph von Lodron. Today interesting late-Gothic church in Lienz

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