At Porcia Castle, you can step into Carinthia: the Museum of Folk Culture features the walkable panorama “i steh´ drauf!”, a 200-square-metre zoom-in map of the region. This unusual perspective opens up a view of Spittal’s cultural side, which ranges from folk culture and music to Renaissance architecture and contemporary art.

Folk Culture and Music at Porcia Castle

Across two floors, the Museum of Folk Culture offers “1001 ways” to discover the cultural history of Upper Carinthia. A smartphone audio guide is also available in German, English, Italian and Slovenian. This brings together, under one roof, a walkable map of Carinthia and a collection with a broad focus on cultural history.

Music is also part of Porcia Castle: founded in 2009, the “Porcia Klassik” cultural project fills the Music Room or the Ancestors’ Hall with music ranging from the Baroque era to the present day. The Porcia Comedy Plays were founded in 1961—another dated milestone in the town’s cultural history.

Renaissance Buildings and Contemporary Art

Construction of a Renaissance town palace at Khevenhüller Palais began in the 1530s. The “Spittl” was built in the first half of the 16th century and has been modified several times. Its Renaissance building combines a two-storey arcaded courtyard with a Neoclassical façade. The construction period and subsequent alterations provide two different points of reference for exploring its architectural history.

In the 500-year-old column-vaulted cellar of the Salamanca Cellar, the gallery presents contemporary visual art and provides a representative cross-section. The artworks are thus displayed in a space whose vaults have a long history of their own. The Parkschlössl is another seasonal exhibition venue: for several years, the municipality has made it available to artists and self-taught artists during the summer months. If you are planning a visit specifically for this, check the current exhibition dates.

River, Lake and Everyday Life

The approximately twelve-metre-high Auenturm offers views over the Drau River landscape and its valuable floodplain areas in the Spittaler Feld. The Drau Cycle Path also follows the Drau River to Spittal an der Drau. Lake Millstatt is nearby; only a small hill separates it from Spittal. The river and lake thus bring different landscape features to the travel region.

The town hall square offers a glimpse of local market life: a weekly market takes place there on Thursdays, where you can browse and sample the produce. This set day of the week is a useful point of reference if you would like to include a market visit in your travel plans.

Goldeck: Summit Route and Excursion Area

At Goldeck, the Five-Summit Tour crosses Goldeck, Martennock, Staff, Eckwand and Latschur. The Goldeck cable car travels from the valley at 547 metres up to the Goldeck excursion and hiking area at 1,780 metres.

For a different activity, the Goldeck Kinderland has a summer tubing track.

Getting There and Further Information

ÖBB InterCity trains and S-Bahn services stop frequently at Spittal an der Drau/Millstätter See station. As timetables can change, check the current connections for your travel date. The drautal perle is a twelve-minute walk from Spittal – Millstättersee station. Its wellness area includes a whirlpool, a block sauna, a steam and brine sauna, an herbal sauna, a Finnish sauna and an infrared cabin.

You can choose different focuses for your trip: exhibitions and architectural history, the Drau and lake landscapes, or Goldeck. The Thursday market and the seasonal use of the Parkschlössl provide additional timing information.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Dellach im Drautal, Döllach, Flattach, Gatschach, Gmünd in Kärnten, Heiligenblut am Großglockner, Innerkrems, Irschen, Kolbnitz, Mallnitz, Maltaberg, Millstatt, Mühldorf, Mörtschach, Oberdrauburg, Obervellach, Radenthein, Rangersdorf, Reißeck, Rennweg am Katschberg, Seeboden, Steinfeld, Teuchl, Weissensee, Winklern, Techendorf, Eisentratten, Großkirchheim, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Berg im Drautal, Katschberghöhe, Görtschach, Malta, Sappl, Stall, Kleblach Lind, Pattendorf, Penk, Spittal an der Drau, Lieserbrücke, Greifenburg, Trebesing, Baldramsdorf, Weinberg, Aschbach, Asten, Lendorf, Pfaffenberg, Oberkolbnitz, Söbriach, Kremsbrücke, Napplach, Sankt Oswald, Egg, Emberg, Sachsenburg, Tschierweg, Pesenthein, Obergottesfeld, Außerfragant, Stampfen and Döbriach.

To the overview of the wider region: Carinthia.