Gaal combines a focus on nature at Ingeringsee Lake with historic churches and chapels, winter activities and apple cider culture. When planning your trip, it’s worth considering the season and the type of activity you’re looking for: a walk around the lake, winter sports and an insight into apple cider production appeal to different interests.
Getting Around the Municipality
A free hiking and leisure map is available to help you find your way around the municipality. It shows hiking and ski routes, a circular hiking trail and themed trails. It also marks car parks, inns and snack stops throughout the municipality. If you’re planning an outing, this gives you an overview of route types and practical places to stop.
Ingeringsee Lake: Circuit and Access
Ingeringsee Lake is located in Gaal at an altitude of 1,200 metres and is surrounded by the Seckau Alps. Walking around the lake takes about 45 minutes. The lake is accessible by car: an asphalt road leads there initially, followed shortly before the lake by a gravel road to the car park. Access is closed in winter. Take this seasonal restriction into account when choosing your travel dates, and check the specific access regulations before a winter trip.
Churches, Chapels and Building History
Wasserberg Castle was built around 1260 by Bishop Bernhard of Seckau. St. Peter’s Church in Gaal has Romanesque origins and was probably built around 1200. The Klementi Chapel, built by the Wasserberg forestry administration in 2015, is dedicated to Saint Clement. Its features include an altar made from a large tree trunk and a window overlooking Ingeringsee Lake. The Maria Loretto Alpine Chapel lies below Rosenkogel at an altitude of 1,850 metres. It was built in 1935 after the previous chapel burned down following a lightning strike during the First World War. The construction dates of 1935 and 2015 are considerably later than the medieval landmarks of St. Peter’s and Wasserberg Castle.
Winter Activities and High Ropes Course
Maria Loretto is a winter destination for ski tourers and snowshoe hikers. The Gaal ski lifts feature a 2.3 km ski autobahn; night skiing is available on 1.4 km of groomed slopes. At the Gaal snowshoe taster area, visitors can rent snowshoes at the Gasthof Wachter and follow a signposted circular route.
Alpinpark SteinmĂĽhle offers a different kind of activity: its high ropes course is set in a rocky natural landscape and offers various levels of difficulty, from beginner to expert. The park also features a rappelling course, a Pamper Pole, a bell chime and several zip lines.
Apple Cider and Event
At Kühbrein-Hof, visitors can get a behind-the-scenes look by appointment, experience the production process and taste apple cider. Kühbrein Most stands for modern, high-quality apple cider made from traditional old apple varieties. A traditional brass ensemble gathering takes place at Maria Loretto on the fourth Sunday in August. If you’d like to plan your trip around this event, check the latest event dates.
Discover more destinations: Preggraben, WeiĂźkirchen In Steiermark, Bretstein
View the overarching travel guide: Murtal.
