Culture and Architecture in Metnitz

You can explore Metnitz through two specific areas of culture: the local traditions museum, with the Metnitztal “Kinisingen” and traditional rural hand weaving, and the parish church with its charnel house and depictions of the Dance of Death. A named circular hiking trail starts at the museum and leads through the market square. These topics and the route offer different starting points for planning a stay.

Local Traditions Museum and Hand Weaving

The original, valuable crowns and the star used in the Metnitztal “Kinisingen” are on display at the Metnitz Local Traditions Museum. The tradition has been included on the national list of intangible cultural heritage since 2014; the crown and star are the specific objects associated with this custom. Visitors can also learn about traditional rural hand weaving, and an original, working loom is on display. The museum therefore presents two different aspects side by side: Kinisingen as an intangible custom and hand weaving as a craft process. This distinction helps put things in context: the tradition is on the list, while at the museum you can see the associated objects and learn more about the craft of weaving.

Parish Church and Charnel House

Metnitz Parish Church is a Gothic church dating from the 14th to the 16th century, and it also has Romanesque walls. Two distinct architectural influences therefore come together in one church building. The charnel house stands immediately south of the parish church at an elevation of 850 m. This small, octagonal building has a steep pyramid roof and a roof lantern. The church and charnel house belong to the same complex, but remain distinct structures: the church is defined by its Gothic style and Romanesque walls, while the charnel house can be identified by its location, floor plan and roof shape. The architecture can thus be explored not only through the larger church building, but also through the smaller, independently shaped charnel house.

The Dance of Death: Frieze and Dating

The Dance of Death frescoes on the charnel house formed a frieze on its outer wall, approximately 1.20 m wide and 50 m long in total. These measurements describe two different dimensions of the same work: its approximate width and its total length. The Dance of Death depictions are dated to around 1500. A later work should be distinguished from these: in 1989, Walter Campidell and Dietrich Wiedergut made a copy of the Dance of Death using fresco technique. The date of around 1500 and the 1989 copy therefore refer to different points in time and different processes.

Dance of Death Play and Hiking Trail

Performances of the Metnitz Dance of Death play take place in the churchyard between the charnel house and the parish church. Another point of interest for planning is the Metnitz Circular Hiking Trail Part 1, also known as Hiking Trail 6 or the Hemma Trail: it starts at the local traditions museum and leads through the market square. These are two distinct locations: the venue for the play and the starting point and route of the hiking trail. If you would like to include a performance in your stay, check the dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Sand, Mölbling, Straßburg, Althofen, Sankt Georgen Am Längsee, Liebenfels, Kraig, Treffling

Return to the main travel overview: Sankt Veit An Der Glan.