Dark green spruce, lush meadows, with houses and farms in between: the unique surroundings of the Hochrindl alpine pass at 1500 metres in the Nockberge mountains of Carinthia.
The Ursulaquelle spring at the heart of the forest is a short hike with beautiful views. Legend has it that a chapel once stood here. But because people led a wicked life, the chapel was swallowed up by the earth. Only the spring remained, to wash away evil and guilt.
Another story recounts the legend of the maid who washed her face with the spring water and became more and more beautiful.
© Tourismusverein Sirnitz – Hochrindl – Deutsch-Griffen | Franz Gerdl
To this day hikers visit the Ursulaquelle to leave their worries behind. Traditioinally they do this by tying a small cross made from small branches and other material from the forest and placing it by the spring. Others simply enjoy the cold, delicious-tasting spring water.
The starting point for the 45-minute hike to the Ursulaquelle is the Gasthof Alpl on the Hochrindl. There are plenty of other forest and meadow walks to choose from with, for example, the Hochrindl circuit taking around six hours.
More information: www.hochrindl.at
