In Wies, different themes lead to different sides of the town: Wies Church brings together architectural history and an ongoing pilgrimage tradition, chapels are the focus of their own trails and religious customs, and the hands-on Mining Museum brings technology to life. When planning a stay, you can first decide whether to focus on churches and history, hiking trails or geological discoveries.
Churches, Chapels and Local History
Wies Church was built between 1774 and 1782 to house the statue of grace known as the “Scourged Saviour of Wies.” It is a work by Marburg architect Johann Fuchs and features Neoclassical elements. Traditional groups continue to make pilgrimages to the parish church. Its construction, architectural design and pilgrimage tradition thus offer various starting points for a visit focused on sacred culture.
Burgstall Castle is also part of the town’s history: it lies within the protected area encompassing Wies’s historic centre. The renovated St. Vitus Chapel in Altenmarkt is a key stop on the “Chapel Trail” themed hiking route. During its restoration, an almost intact expanse of Gothic frescoes dating from around 1400 was uncovered. It covers 127 m²—a specific measurement that conveys the scale of this fresco discovery.
In Wernersdorf, Emmaus Chapel serves as a sacred space for Mass, devotions, weddings and baptisms. Every year on Easter Monday, it is also the destination of the Emmaus Walk: pilgrims from neighbouring parishes set out on an early-morning star-shaped hike. This annual event is different from an ordinary visit to the chapel and may be relevant when planning around Easter.
Trails with History and Set Visiting Times
The Limberg Mining Experience Museum is located right on the “Mining Museum Trail.” At the museum, visitors can operate a miner’s drilling machine at the touch of a button and recreate the movements of a mine worker’s shovel. Visits are possible by appointment by phone; arrange a time before you arrive. This lets you plan a museum visit deliberately, rather than assuming you can visit without arranging it in advance.
Another trail leading to specific destinations is the “Hans Kloepfer Trail” to St. Katharina in der Wiel. There, visitors can see the “captured Russian” and the parish church. The small parish church was built in the 15th century; its furnishings are believed to date from the 17th or 18th century. This destination therefore combines a historic church building with another place of interest at the end of the trail.
The experimental station for specialty crops has a defined seasonal schedule: the trial plots change every year and can be visited from early May to the end of September, Monday to Friday. The site includes a garden with 160 small plots. Visitors can see, smell and taste vegetables, pumpkins, flowers and herbs there. Check the specific visiting dates before you arrive if you would like to include this seasonal attraction in your plans.
Rocks, Views and Regional Discoveries
The Wielfresen Rock World showcases 20 blocks and slabs of rock, some weighing several tonnes. Most have been cut and their surfaces polished to reveal the rocks’ interiors. The Rock World is part of the Koralm Crystal Trail network, which focuses on tourism and earth sciences. In Unterfresen, the Hohl-Felsen Geotrail is considered one of Austria’s most beautiful eclogite exposures. Those interested in geology can therefore explore different ways of viewing rocks here: as exposed interiors and as geological formations.
Renovation has helped preserve Limberg Castle, which sits on a small hill with views across southwestern Styria. Another artistic landmark is the art installation “The 1,000-Year-Old Mirror,” created in Aug bei Wies by Wies-born artist Viktor Thomas Kröll. These destinations complement churches and hiking trails with a glimpse of the landscape and art, without needing to be combined into a set route.
Regional products and crafts can also be a focus. The Kronabeter Farm Dairy at Krass 109, 8551 Wies offers regional cheese specialities and farm products directly at the farm. The cheese hut is open around the clock; the farm dairy also offers tastings and individually assembled cheese platters. The Distilling Equipment Museum is housed in an old cellar building dating from 1865 and explains the history of schnapps distilling from antiquity to the present day. Depending on your interests, you can explore Wies through its sacred architecture, geology, art or regional produce.
Discover more destinations: Graschach, Kothvogel, Gundersdorf, Sankt Anna Ob Schwanberg, Wetzelsdorf in der Weststeiermark, Schwanberg, Mainsdorf, Pölfing-Brunn.
Go to the main travel overview: Deutschlandsberg.
