Railway Hiking Trail Breitenstein - Gloggnitz

Description

Karl Ritter von Ghega built a breathtaking railway line over the Semmering. Many architects before him had already planned this great project, but only he dared to undertake the construction of 15 tunnels and 16 viaducts.

This stage leads from Breitenstein Train Station to Gloggnitz, passing some beautiful viewpoints and cultural highlights.

From the Breitenstein stop, you hike along the railway via the Weinzettlwand, from which you have a splendid view of the Klamm castle ruins with the church. The path later passes the listed ruins and the church. From the Weinzettlwand, the route continues up to Kreuzberg to the Gasthof Polleres for a refreshment, then on to the Wagnergraben with its two-story viaduct and then to Klamm. Another cultural spot on this route is a chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity and Saint John of Nepomuk. From there, it continues towards Gloggnitz, passing Gloggnitz Castle on the way. From the castle, the path can lead towards the town and further to Gloggnitz Train Station. Along this route is also the large construction site of the Semmering Base Tunnel, with an info box below the castle.

History

Originally, there was a path over the Semmering Pass - records for it exist since the Middle Ages. Then in the early 18th century, Emperor Karl VI commissioned a road with gradients up to 17 percent, over which horses labored with heavy loads. Finally, in 1841, the order was given to build a railway line from Vienna to Trieste to meet the transport needs of the emerging industrialization. In 1844, the final gap between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag over the Semmering had to be closed. Under the direction of Carl Ritter von Ghega, 20,000 workers built the first standard-gauge mountain railway in Europe, which has seen only minor modifications to this day. On the 41 km long route, the trains cross 16 viaducts, 100 bridges, and go through 15 tunnels. Since 1998, this "outstanding technical solution to a major physical problem in the construction of early railways" has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Starting point of the tour

Breitenstein Train Station

Destination point of the tour

Gloggnitz Train Station

Route description Railway Hiking Trail Breitenstein - Gloggnitz

The hike begins at Breitenstein Train Station. From here, always follow the signs towards Klamm Train Station. First, go down the street to the municipal office. At the intersection, turn left into Lindenstraße, which later becomes a forest path.

At the next fork, you will meet an asphalt road again. Follow it uphill. On the right is a playground with a locomotive. Continue along Untere Bahnstraße, which eventually turns into a forest road.

At the end of this forest road, there is an option to wander right over a meadow to the Weinzettlwand. There, two viewpoints offer impressive views of Klamm, Breitenstein, Semmering, and the famous Semmering Railway. Please respect the grazing animals when crossing the meadow.

Next, follow Karl-Schubert-Straße to the Blauer Einschnitt. There, follow the road downhill to the right. Then always stay on the forest road. Keep left at the Rumplerviadukt. Alternatively, at Blauer Einschnitt, you could also hike via the Panoramaroute to Klamm and stop at the Gasthaus Polleres or Alterhammerhof for refreshments.

After the next railway underpass, turn left onto a meadow path, which is also signposted towards Klamm Train Station. The path leads to the Gamperlviadukt; here again, follow signs to Klamm Train Station.

Walk downhill on the forest road, then turn left through a wooden fence and continue. This path reaches the Wagnergrabenviadukt. Cross the bridge and follow the steep path uphill. The path leads to an asphalt road – the Musikerweg – which leads directly to the church in Klamm.

At the church, go left up the street, then turn right into Deiningerweg, continuing towards Klamm Train Station. After the station, always follow the road to the Eichbergstraße junction. (Here the Panoramaroute also rejoins the railway hiking route.) From here, follow the signs towards Gloggnitz / Eichberg Train Station.

Walk along the road and immediately turn right onto the white-red-white marked forest road. Follow this marking for a while on a forest road. Before reaching Eichberg, the path runs beside the tracks up to the underpass at Eichberg. There, continue straight on the road – opposite the fire station, a road leads down to Eichberg Train Station. At the bottom, turn left into the underpass that takes you to the other side of the station.

Now again follow the road and signs towards Gloggnitz. The path becomes a forest road again and eventually ends at the info box for the Semmering Base Tunnel in Gloggnitz. Go left down the road towards Gloggnitz Castle. Left of the castle, the Kirchensteig path leads down to the Stiegenwirtshaus.

Here turn left onto the footpath into the town center to the Raiffeisenbank; turn left there, and after the bridge, immediately turn right along the road to Gloggnitz Train Station.