Preitenegg offers plenty to interest travellers who want to make hiking their main focus while also getting to know cultural sites. The Lavant Valley High Trail passes directly through the town; in summer, you can hike in the expansive hinterland of the Koralpe and Packalpe mountains. Other highlights include St. Nicholas Parish Church, the Cathedral of the Forest and the Maximilian Schell Exhibition. This lets you choose your destination according to your preferred focus: activity, architecture or cultural history.
Hiking and Cycling
The well-marked Lavant Valley High Trail passes directly through Preitenegg. In summer, the town is an ideal starting point for hikes in the expansive hinterland of the Koralpe and Packalpe mountains. These offer different points of reference when choosing a tour: the high trail passes right through the town, while the summer hikes take you into two mountain areas. The 7-Hut Hike is highlighted as a special feature of the hiking options.
Cyclists can also make use of Preitenegg’s well-developed rural network of paths. When planning your trip, you can choose whether hiking or cycling will be your main activity; summer is specifically mentioned as the season for hiking.
Church and Exhibition
St. Nicholas Parish Church stands in the centre of town, slightly elevated beside the road, and was first mentioned in official records in 1288. It is a late Romanesque chancel-tower church with a late Gothic chancel extension. Three remarkable Baroque altars and a pulpit by Franz Anton Detl complete the church interior; the pulpit dates from the second quarter of the 18th century. The church thus brings together late Romanesque, late Gothic and Baroque features.
The Maximilian Schell Exhibition is located in the entrance area of Preitenegg’s municipal office. Guided tours are available for larger groups by prior arrangement. If you are visiting with a group, arrange this before your visit.
The Cathedral of the Forest
At the Cathedral of the Forest, you can walk along a true-to-scale ground plan of Milan Cathedral, following an elaborately constructed wooden walkway. The ground plan is not merely viewed, but traced step by step. This offers a different way of experiencing architecture than at the parish church, where the chancel tower, extension and altars draw attention to architectural and artistic features.
At the highest point is a gneiss boulder that forms the centre and is regarded as a place of peace and relaxation. The wooden walkway and the boulder offer different points of interest at the Cathedral of the Forest: the walkable ground plan here, and the central feature regarded as a place of rest there.
Cross-country skiing on the Hebalm
The Hebalm offers a variety of cross-country ski trails and good facilities for skiing. The Hebalmsee lake is also located within the municipality of Preitenegg; it was originally a snowmaking pond. These two details offer different perspectives on the Hebalm: cross-country skiing as an activity, and the lake’s former function as part of its history. For cyclists, Preitenegg’s rural network of paths offers a focus of its own.
Find accommodation to suit your travel interests
Consider whether hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing or a visit focused on cultural history will shape your stay.
Discover more destinations: Kamp, Kalchberg, Obergösel, Weinebene, Sankt Gertraud, Sankt Paul Im Lavanttal, Prebl, Lamprechtsberg
Go to the overview of the wider area: Wolfsberg.
