The best cycling routes around Hall-Wattens

Kloster St. Martin in Gnadenwald That St. Martin in Gnadenwald was chosen as one of our places of power is actually self-evident. When you arrive there, you can already feel the special aura of this place. First and foremost, St. Martin is a place of recreation - both physical and spiritual. In our fast-paced times, "coming to rest" is extremely important. The Cretan or classical stone labyrinth located to the left below the monastery is a symbol of the human life path. Labyrinths have existed in many cultures for more than 5000 years and are shaped by the need for inner peace and a sense of home. Text / Source: Hall-Wattens Tourismus, Unterer Stadtplatz 19, Hall in Tirol https://www.hall-wattens.at/de/st-martin-in-gnadenwald.html

History of St. Martin in Gnadenwald As early as the 11th century, a hunting lodge with a chapel in honor of St. Martin is said to have stood on the site of the present-day monastery. The first documented mention dates from 1337 in a will of the Tyrolean master of the hunt, Heinrich von Rottenburg. A second mention occurred in 1382. Around the same time or not long after, a hermitage was also founded here, inhabited by two lay brothers. The daughter Magdalena Getzner of the wealthy Hall citizen Jörg Perl entered the monastery of St. Magdalena in Halltal together with her daughter in 1486. This was possible because her father donated a considerable sum annually to the monastery of St. Magdalena. The daughter of Magdalena Getzner, also named Magdalena, had health problems, probably a mental disability, which is why the bishop allowed her to leave the monastery of St. Magdalena and settle in a healthy location in monastic habit. Magdalena Getzner and her daughter now chose St. Martin in Gnadenwald as their new place of residence. This is evidenced by a document from 1497 from the parish archive of Baumkirchen. In addition, some sisters followed them to St. Martin, so that a monastery was established there, of which Magdalena Getzner the Elder became the abbess. On October 7, 1520, the Augustinian monastery in St. Martin in Gnadenwald burned down. The 30 nuns found refuge in the St. Salvator chaplaincy in Hall and remained there until 1566. The era of the Peasants' Wars and the Reformation was not an age for rebuilding burnt-down monasteries. Thus In 1826, the entire church was renovated, and in 1836 it received a new high altar with an altarpiece, presumably by Arnold Schöpf. The frescoes by Milldorfer remained. During the Nazarene period, the small monastery received its Christmas nativity scene with figures over 80 cm tall. In 1935, the Tertiary Sisters from Hall moved into the long-vacant cells and have run a guesthouse for visitors there since 1939. This was a valuable place of refreshment for pilgrims during their journey. Unfortunately, the rental business was discontinued in 2019, and the Tertiary Sisters no longer live in the monastery. Text / Source: Hall-Wattens Tourismus, Unterer Stadtplatz 19, Hall in Tirol https://www.hall-wattens.at/de/st-martin-in-gnadenwald.html

Beautiful tower in the middle of the city / Visits possible at least temporarily.

A fantastic descent from the Brenner Pass on an excellent cycle path.

Main road for the village of Zell

The Twelve Tower was built between 1468 and 1472 above the town's main entrance and served as the upper town gate, at a time when the nearby silver mine in Ridnaun brought prosperity to the region and Sterzing experienced its rise as a Fugger town. Two marble plaques above the archway still commemorate the laying of the foundation stone by Duke Sigismund of Austria in 1469. In 1867, the Gothic spire burned down and was subsequently replaced by the current stone stepped gable.

beautiful view of Hall from the Münzturm

Beautiful path along the Ziller, whether on foot or by bike.