There are several specific points of interest to help you plan a stay in Kauns: Berneck Castle, a themed trail in a nature reserve, sacred buildings and an herb garden on an organic farm. The trails can also be distinguished by the information available about them. The Kauner Forest and Shrub Educational Trail has a stated length, starting point and endpoint; the pilgrimage route has a start and destination; and the Aifneralm tour has a starting point. You can choose the focus of your stay based on what interests you.
Berneck Castle and its chapel
Berneck Castle, also known as Schloss Berneck or Bernegg, is a castle complex built around 1200. On its southern side, a gallery runs above a 130 m-high cliff and offers a view down into the depths. The height refers to the cliff; the gallery thus connects a specific viewpoint with the complex’s dramatic setting. The castle chapel also has a historical detail of its own: it is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew.
For a cultural focus in Kauns, you can consider this castle complex alongside the village’s sacred buildings. Its construction date, alternative names and the chapel’s dedication make the castle a distinctive destination, while the gallery on its southern side offers another perspective on the complex.
Nature reserve and trails
The Kauner Forest and Shrub Educational Trail is 2.7 km long and begins and ends at the Kauns municipal office. It is a themed trail through the Kauns-Kaunerberg-Faggen Nature Reserve. Its landscape includes dry grasslands, rocky outcrops, shrub and forest islands, and overgrown dry-stone walls. The open and vegetated landscape features give the protected area its varied character; the educational trail offers a clearly defined thematic focus.
The Kauns–Kaltenbrunn pilgrimage route begins in Kauns and ends at the Kaltenbrunn pilgrimage church. Unlike the educational trail, which returns to its starting point, this route has a destination separate from its starting point. The Aifneralm tour also starts at the municipal office in Kauns. Conditions on this tour may vary by season. If you are planning to take it at a particular time of year, check the conditions before setting out.
The information provides different ways to plan for each trail: for the educational trail, you know its length and return point; for the pilgrimage route, both endpoints; and for the Aifneralm tour, its starting point and the seasonal caveat. The shared starting point of the educational trail and the Aifneralm tour helps distinguish these two options without implying that they form a single route.
Sacred buildings and herb garden
The Catholic Parish Church of St. James the Elder in Kauns is a protected historic monument. The Holy Cross Chapel, also known as Schranz Chapel, is also a protected historic monument in Kauns. Alongside the castle chapel, these are two further named sacred buildings that you can consider as distinct cultural attractions.
The Kauner Herb Corner offers a different focus: it is an herb garden on the organic farm of Verena and Edgar Buchhammer. Together with the historic buildings and the nature reserve, it expands the range of local themes to include an agricultural aspect. To decide whether Kauns fits your travel plans, you can consider whether you would like to focus primarily on the castle and sacred buildings, the landscape and trails, or the herb garden as well.
Discover more destinations: Tobadill, Feichten in the Kaunertal, Langesthei, Kaunertal, Spiss, Tösens, Ischgl, Schönwies
For the overarching travel overview: Landeck.
