Discover Maria Rain
Accommodation in Maria Rain
When looking for a hotel in Maria Rain, your plans for the day can make all the difference: The pilgrimage church and religious monuments offer a cultural focus, while cycling routes, hiking trails and scenic spots show other sides of the area. Consider whether you would like to include architectural history, a route or the Drau landscape in your travel plans.
Landscape, water and views
At the southern escarpment of the Sattnitz-Koglomerate towards the Drau in Maria Rain lies the natural spectacle “Ewiger Regen” (Eternal Rain). The emergence of numerous seepage springs has created substantial tufa formations and seepage areas there. Water and the geological substratum shape the character of this natural feature: the springs, deposits and seepage areas together make it special.
The Drau also shapes the landscape around Maria Rain. At Maria Rain, the river is dammed to form the Ferlach reservoir. The KaiserhĂĽtte offers views of the Rosental valley and the Karawanken. The KaiserhĂĽtte was built in honour of Emperor Franz Josef I; the KaiserhĂĽttenweg is a hiking trail in Maria Rain. The viewpoint, hiking trail and river landscape thus offer different ways to plan a trip that combines nature and activity.
Pilgrimage church and religious architectural history
The Maria Rain/Žihpolje parish church is a Baroque pilgrimage church built in 1729 and lies on the Hemma Pilgrimage Trail. At its core, it incorporates a late Gothic predecessor building dating from 1445/56. The church also contains a substantial Baroque high altar from 1694. These dates provide insight into different phases of construction: the predecessor building, high altar and Baroque pilgrimage church each have their own historical context.
Wayside shrines and religious customs are also part of the cultural landscape. The Plaschkreuz is the fourth of five gabled wayside shrines along the route from Maria Rain railway station to the pilgrimage church. It is also a stop on the annual Corpus Christi procession. The annual Easter blessing of food takes place at the Ounitschkreuz. These sites are therefore connected both with routes and with recurring religious traditions.
Other historic churches are located in the surrounding area. A few kilometres east of Maria Rain stands the Gothic filial church of St. Ulrich, first mentioned in a document in 1453 as a filial church of Köttmannsdorf. The Göltschach parish church in Göltschach/Golšovo is an 18th-century Baroque church, built on the site of a Gothic predecessor building. According to an inscription, its tower and northern sacristy were built in 1632.
The Danielskreuz is an elaborately painted gabled wayside shrine with an accessible niche and a hipped roof covered with wooden shingles. May devotions are held there regularly. On the Wednesday before Ascension Day, a rogation procession sets out from there for the parish church in Göltschach. Architecture and religious practice can be experienced together at this site, while the annual dates give it a distinct seasonal connection.
Planning cycling and hiking routes
Two connections are important for a cycling tour: the long-distance cycle route between Ferlach and Klagenfurt runs directly through the municipality of Maria Rain. The connections from Maria Rain also provide direct access to the Drau Cycle Path. The first detail describes the route through the municipality; the second describes the connection to the Drau Cycle Path.
One specific walking route is the “Hofstätter Wald.” It runs from the municipal office via cycle route R7 and the Hofstätter Wald to the pilgrimage church, then back to the municipal office. The church is a destination along the described route, which ends back at the municipal office. The “Hollenburglauf” follows a different route: from there, it goes via the pilgrimage church, Untertöllern and Lambichl, as well as the R7/railway section, back to the municipal office.
A 2023 excursion guide gives a walking time of less than half an hour for the route from the pilgrimage church to the Bischof-Paulitsch Chapel. Actual walking time may vary depending on conditions. If you plan to take this route, use the stated time as a guide and check the conditions before setting out.
A crossing over the Drau
A regional tourism website listed the Valentinsfähre on 4 September 2026 as a traditional crossing by Zille boat from Glainach across the Drau to Maria Rain. Check before your trip whether the crossing is operating on your planned date.
Discover more destinations: Sankt Martin Am Techelsberg, Reifnitz, Auen, Sekirn, Pörtschach Am Wörther See, Höflein, Plaschischen, Ferlach.
Back to the main travel overview: Klagenfurt-Land.
