The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Fritzens

Hotel Speckbacherhof, St. Martin, Gnadenwald The Alpenhotel Speckbacherhof has a long tradition and was built in 1753 as a farmhouse under the original name "Koandl". The hotel's history is shaped by more than 70 years of loving management by the Mayr family. The hotel was taken over by the Andreas Hofmann family in 2003 and has since been known for its high quality and traditional Tyrolean style. Text / Source: Hotel Speckbacherhof, St. Martin, Gnadenwald https://www.speckbacherhof.at/

History of the founding of St. Martin in Gnadenwald As early as the 11th century, a hunting lodge with a chapel in honor of St. Martin is said to have stood on the site of the present-day monastery. The first documented mention dates back to 1337 in a will of the Tyrolean court master Heinrich von Rottenburg. A second mention occurred in 1382. Around the same time or not long after, a hermitage was also founded here, inhabited by two forest brothers. The daughter Magdalena Getzner of the wealthy Hall citizen Jörg Perl entered the monastery of St. Magdalena in Halltal together with her daughter in 1486. This was possible because her father annually donated a considerable sum to the monastery of St. Magdalena. The daughter of Magdalena Getzner, also named Magdalena, had health problems, probably a mental disability, which is why the bishop allowed her to leave the monastery of St. Magdalena and settle in a healthy location in monastic habit. Magdalena Getzner and her daughter now chose St. Martin in Gnadenwald as their new place of residence. This is evidenced by a document from 1497 from the parish archive of Baumkirchen. In addition, some sisters went with them to St. Martin, so that a monastery was established there, of which Magdalena Getzner the Elder became the abbess. On October 7, 1520, the Augustinian monastery in St. Martin in Gnadenwald burned down. The 30 nuns found refuge in the St. Salvator chaplaincy in Hall and remained there until 1566. The era of the Peasants' Wars and the Reformation was not the age for rebuilding burnt-down monasteries. Thus In 1826, the entire chapel was renovated, and in 1836 it received a new high altar with an altarpiece, presumably by Arnold Schöpf. The frescoes by Milldorfer remained. During the Nazarene period, the small monastery received its Christmas nativity scene with figures over 80 cm tall. In 1935, the Tertiary Sisters from Hall moved into the long-vacant cells and operated a guesthouse here from 1939 onwards. This was a valuable place of rest for pilgrims during their journey. Unfortunately, the rental was discontinued in 2019, and the Tertiary Sisters no longer live in the monastery. Text / Source: Hall-Wattens Tourism, Unterer Stadtplatz 19, Hall in Tirol https://www.hall-wattens.at/de/st-martin-in-gnadenwald.html

Kloster St. Martin in Gnadenwald That St. Martin in Gnadenwald was chosen as one of our places of power is actually self-evident. When you arrive there, you already feel the special aura of this place. Primarily, St. Martin is a place of recreation - both physical and mental. In our fast-paced times, "finding peace" is extremely important. The Cretan or classical stone labyrinth positioned to the left below the monastery symbolizes the human life path. Labyrinths have been found in many cultures for over 5000 years and are shaped by the need for inner peace and home. Text / Source: Hall-Wattens Tourismus, Unterer Stadtplatz 19, Hall in Tirol https://www.hall-wattens.at/de/st-martin-in-gnadenwald.html

Maria Larch The pilgrimage church of Maria Larch is located at the entrance to the Larch valley and is a beautiful destination for walks in the surroundings of Terfens / Gnadenwald. The origin of the pilgrimage to Maria Larch dates back to 1665. The beneficiary of St. Martin in Gnadenwald gave a peasant woman an image of the Mother of God made of clay, which was hung on a tree to awaken good thoughts in passers-by. About 10 years later, a chapel was built, which, however, underwent several renovations. Two miraculous healings were the trigger for Maria Larch becoming a popular pilgrimage site: a mute girl regained her speech after a heartfelt prayer before the image of grace, and a seriously ill child was healed. Text / Source: wallfahrt-online.at https://wallfahrt-online.at/maria-larch/

The spring: (Pilgrimage Chapel Maria Larch, Terfens) The Pilgrimage Chapel Maria Larch dates back to the 17th century. In the baroque well house, St. Florian watches over the water, which is still considered a revitalizing drink today. In the 18th century, it healed a mute girl from her suffering and later many, many more - probably also before and after. It is a right-turning water in a place of power that could not be more impressive. When the custodians of this gem have to openly ask for a donation for the water, it is actually a sign of poverty for those who bottle water here. Three things should be a matter of course at every holy spring: reverence, gratitude, and an "offering", whatever that may look like. Text / Source: Austria-Forum https://austria-forum.org/af/Kunst_und_Kultur/B%C3%BCcher/Heilige_Quellen/Tirol/Terfens_Maria_Larch

Maria Larch Legend: A devout woman named Magdalena Bogner, who was married to the respected farmer Veit Spieltenner in Schlegelsbach, gave the first occasion for it (the chapel). This woman felt an inexplicable urge within her to perform her devotion at the spot where the chapel now stands, and where she herself often passed by, either on Sundays and holidays on her way to church in Terfens or for business reasons. Johann Weiß, the chaplain in the hermitage of St. Martin in the woods, to whom she had confided the peculiar feeling in her heart, gave her a statue of the Mother of God, which she was to place somewhere at the designated spot, and then she could devote herself to prayer there without hesitation. The chaplain had made the statue himself out of clay. It is a shoe high; the divine mother holds the dear Christ child in her left hand and carries the gilded apple in her right. The woman brought the precious gift home with a joyful heart, and immediately had her husband place the statue at the designated spot in a small niche carved out of a strong larch tree. A narrow roof from above was to serve as protection for the statue against the falling rain; at the bottom, a narrow block was placed so that people could kneel more comfortably while praying. This happened in the year 1665. Text / Source: Legende: sagen.at https://www.sagen.at/doku/quellen/quellen_tirol/maria_larch.html

The spring: (Pilgrimage chapel Maria Larch, Terfens) The pilgrimage chapel Maria Larch dates from the 17th century. In the baroque well house, Saint Florian watches over the water, which is still considered a revitalizing drink today. In the 18th century, it healed a mute girl from her suffering and later many, many more - probably before and after as well. It is a right-turning water at a place of power, as impressive as it can be. The fact that the custodians of the jewel must openly ask for a donation for the water is actually a testament to the poverty of those who bottle water here. Three things should be a matter of course at each of the holy springs: reverence, gratitude, and an "offering", whatever that may be. Text / Source: Austria-Forum https://austria-forum.org/af/Kunst_und_Kultur/B%C3%BCcher/Heilige_Quellen/Tirol/Terfens_Maria_Larch

Maria Larch Legend: A devout woman named Magdalena Bogner, who was married to the respected farmer Veit Spieltenner in Schlegelsbach, gave the first occasion for it (the chapel). This woman felt an inexplicable urge within her to perform her devotion at the spot where the chapel now stands, and where she herself often passed by, either on Sundays and holidays on her way to church in Terfens or for her business. Johann Weiß, the chaplain in the hermitage of St. Martin in the woods, to whom she had confided the peculiar feeling in her heart, gave her a picture of the Mother of God, which she was to place somewhere at the designated spot, and then she could devotedly pray there without hesitation. The chaplain had made the image himself from clay. It is a shoe high; the divine mother holds the dear Christ child with her left hand, and in her right she carries the gilded apple. The woman, with a joyful heart, brought the precious gift home and immediately had her husband place the image at the designated spot in a small niche carved from a strong larch tree. A narrow roof from above was to serve as protection for the image against the falling rain; at the bottom on the ground, a narrow block was placed so that people could kneel more comfortably while praying. This happened in the year 1665. Text / Source: Legend: sagen.at https://www.sagen.at/doku/quellen/quellen_tirol/maria_larch.html