The best traffic-free bike rides around Völkermarkter Stausee

The Devil's Stone in the Jauntal valley near Globasnitz in Carinthia. According to legend, the rock was broken off the Petzen (a 2126 meter high mountain peak a little further south) by the devil in anger over an escaped soul and hurled into the Jauntal valley. The devil's thumbprint can still be seen on the front today.

Schloss Elberstein Fairy-tale castle built by oneself: Some build a house, others a castle. Ludmilla and Johann Elbe from Globasnitz show how to get a sweet castle with a coat of arms and a resounding name, even without millions in the bank.

Its name already suggests that the approximately six-meter-high structure made up of three rock blocks piled on top of each other cannot simply be a freak of nature. According to legend, the devil is not only the eponym, but is said to have had a hand in the construction of the stone himself. Seen from a distance, the walls of the stone initially appear quirky and crooked. Up close, however, a flat surface is revealed. This could have been formed either by the weather or by human hands. Several scientific studies have already dealt with this question as well as the question of the astronomical significance of the stone. Measurements have shown that the Teufelstein, together with the Königskogel and four old churches in the area, forms a geometric pattern in the shape of a dragon or deltoid. Another astronomical peculiarity is the orientation of the large, flat wall, which points to the axis of the great lunar solstice as well as that of the winter and summer solstices. According to scientists, this cannot be just a coincidence, but rather the stone tower was precisely aligned. (Source: http://www.calendersign.com/de/aa_teufelstein.php.3.8.2014) Perhaps it was the devil himself who placed the rocks on top of each other in exactly this way? In any case, the legend of the Devil's Stone says that the fallen angel Lucifer tried to build a tower to heaven on Christmas Eve. He would have had time until the second bell rang during communion to be taken back to heaven. When this attempt failed, he is said to have left the unfinished tower on earth in a rage and returned to hell himself. In any case, it seems certain that the Devil's Stone, as it is popularly known, has always had a special attraction for people. The Styrian poet Peter Rosegger once reported on a mass, the so-called "Teufelsteinkirtag", which is said to have taken place annually on St. Lawrence's Day at least until 1890. Now, more than 100 years later, around 500 people gather at the Teufelstein on the morning of the winter solstice to watch the sunrise. For a long time, the Teufelstein was considered a pagan cult site and was demonized by the church, but today the site is a mystical place that many people find to be filled with a unique atmosphere and power and that still poses a mystery to science.

The baroque church has a high ridge turret, a polygonal choir from 1678, a southern sacristy extension from 1717 and a western porch. The baroque architectural polychromy was restored during the restoration in 1998. A half-height pillar of a choir screen with a vine motif, birds and a cross is walled into the southern outer wall, which probably comes from one of the early Christian churches of the 5th/6th century on the Hemmaberg.

The Jaunstein branch church stands on a small wooded hill southeast of Jaunstein in the community of Globasnitz. The sacred building, dedicated to John the Baptist, belongs to the parish of Globasnitz. It is a listed building

Beautiful transition to the Gurktal, and connection to Christofberg or Magdalensberg

The Teufelsstein is a 6 m high carbonate rock that has come to rest in the middle of a field. The rock is flanked by a small-leaved linden tree and a pedunculate oak and surrounded by hazel bushes, on top of which there is a crucifix. The rock is overgrown with numerous drought-loving herbaceous plant species such as meadow sage, privet, blood-red dogwood, blackberries and raspberries.

The Roman Catholic branch church in Köcking in the market town of Eberndorf in Carinthia is dedicated to Saints Hermagoras and Fortunat. The church, first mentioned in 1454, belongs to the parish of Eberndorf.