Abriani 8 - The Path of Mindfulness

In the Here and Now: The Gamswandalm

The Mindfulness Trail leads from Abersee via the Franzosenschanze and the Gamswandalm to St. Gilgen. The trail starts at the Gschwendt boat landing.

At the start, the route passes by St. Konrad Church in Abersee, which was built in 1984. Until January 1, 1980, the town of Abersee was known as Zinkenbach. The idea to build a church of their own arose as early as the late 1920s, as the long distances to the nearest church were increasingly seen as a drawback with the rise in tourism.

The trail initially follows the idyllic shores of Lake Wolfgang. Along the route are several lovingly designed wayside shrines, wayside crosses, and chapels. These include the Primus Chapel in Abersee, which was consecrated to Saint Primus in 1934 and served as a place for religious instruction during wartime. Near the Primus farm, there is also another wayside shrine by the side of the path.

After leaving the Abersee settlement area, the route continues past the Seegasthof Gamsjaga along Wolfgangsee Street. Past the Gamsjaga swimming area, a wayside shrine commemorates a tragic bus accident in 1995. The route then crosses Wolfgangsee Street before beginning the ascent to the Gamswandalm via the Franzosenschanze.

The Franzosenschanze was a historic fortification originally built in 1809, when the Napoleonic army and its Bavarian allies were planning an invasion. The ramparts and earthworks extended all the way to the slopes of the Zwölferhorn and were primarily filled with stones. However, no military conflicts ever took place at this location.

The ascent via the Franzosenschanze leads through a charming natural landscape and offers repeated, impressive views of Lake Wolfgang. The mindfulness trail invites you to consciously take in your surroundings and let the unique features of the landscape sink in.

Special caution is required on the section leading past the Gamswandalm and during the descent to St. Gilgen. Along the way, you’ll pass the Weißwand and the Gschmå-Platzl Margarethen-Höhe at Steigermahdl. At the Weißwand is the mountain inn of the same name, which offers a sweeping view of Lake Wolfgang.

The Margarethen-Höhe rock outcrop was built around 1890 by the St. Gilgen Beautification Association as one of the most beautiful viewpoints on the lake. Many of the summer visitors at that time supported the association’s efforts. The construction costs for the small hut built there were covered by the Goldschmidt family, a Viennese publishing family that owned a villa at Hochreitstraße 12. As a token of gratitude, the viewpoint was named after a family member and given the name Margarethen-Höhe.

After the lookout points, the trail continues downhill to St. Gilgen, where the Mindfulness Trail ends at the tourist office.