The following is contributed by Garyo, our member and favorite contributor of
her pilgrimage travelogues around the world here and in her publication:
Five Day Pilgrimage from Vienna to Mariazell
Since 800 years, the little town Mariazell in the Pre-Alps of Lower Austria is the destiny of many pilgrims. The reason is a little statue of the Virgin Mary carved out of linden tree wood, which is thought to work miracles. Hundred of years ago, Mariazell became the most important pilgrimage site for the Austrian monarchy. Even now, it is a beloved destination for Catholics of the former countries of the monarchy. Exactly 20 years ago, I walked to Mariazell with my sister, starting in her hometown, Mautern. This was my first pilgrimage. About two month ago, I hiked with my friend Sigrid on a different pilgrimage route to Mariazell. We started at a place south of Vienna called Perchtoldsdorf.
Gothic Church St. Augustin with a 15th century defense tower to the right and a baroque plague column between them
Gothic City Hall of Perchtholdsdorf (15th century)
From Perchtholdsdorf, we hiked through a forest of pine trees up to the Parapluieberg with a cabin on the top of the mountain. The little restaurant sold delicious food, but I was fasting and only had apple juice with sparkling water.
Cabin on the top of the Parapluieberg
On the slow descent down to the next village, we passed huge meadows full of purple Autumn Timeless flowers. With their gracious and fragile flower pedals, they are intriguing in their beauty, but also highly poisonous for human beings.
It was great to hike the pilgrimage with a dear friend. We both are lovers of nature and like to take our time to see the beauty of the area.
Sigrid and I in the village of Sittendorf
The way to Mariazell leads through the Vienna woods, an area of 25000 protected acres. Many wayside shrines exist along the pilgrimage path to Mariazell.
Cyclamen flowers love to grow in the Vienna woods
We also passed the Cistercian monastery of Heiligenkreuz (founded in the 12th century), a treasure of medieval architecture. Unfortunately, we did not have time for a visit, as the days were shorter and we still had many miles to hike.
Stift Heiligenkreuz with the west façade of the 13th century church
[photo provided by Gabriele Moser, (copyright 2020)]
We continued our walk to Mayerling, famous for the tragedy happening in 1889. Crown Prince Rudolf, the only son of emperor Francis Joseph and heir to the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, committed suicide with his mistress Mary Vetsera in the hunting lodge. Nothing is left from that time; the emperor ordered the immediate destruction of the lodge.
In this charming wooden cabin called Holzschlag (cutting of timber) we stayed overnight. It is located in the middle of a forest area.
The next day, we continued our hike to the village Kaumberg , a hike of about 15 miles. However, we decided to do a two-hour detour up to the famous climbing mountain Peilstein. It was worth the effort
Way up to Peilstein with typical Vienna forest beech trees
Mosses grow on trees, rocks and the ground – a magical landscape
The view from the top of the mountain into the valley was phenomenal!
The Peilsteinhaus, a popular inn for climbers and hikers
We continued our hike through forests and meadows. The landscape already had an alpine flair.
A family of mushrooms on a rotten tree
This year has had many rainy days – a paradise for mushrooms. The parasol mushrooms especially liked this climate.
Some of the mushrooms collected by a mushroom hunter
The parasol was one of the favorite mushrooms in my childhood. They look like little, gracious umbrellas on the forest ground.
Parasol mushroom
On our way, we passed the Druidenstone, a magical place. It was a place where we read poems from John O’Donahue to each other. I brought his book “Bless the Space between us” with me for this hike.
Druidenstein
Even two cows seemed to listen to the poems
At this point, we decided to continue our hike barefoot. It was great to feel the ground under our feet. However, we walked far too slow for the distance we had to go.
Walking barefoot
The photo of this wayside shrine shows the meaning of the Virgin Mary for me –
the vast sky and the crowns of trees are taking over her upper body and head.
The Virgin Mary for me is the manifestation of the entire universe.
We stopped at a former Benedictine monastery called Kleinmariazell. The 12th century Romanesque Basilica is a real architectural treasure. We also admired the former cloister, now a beautiful, romantic garden.
Cloister of Kleinmariazell