Guttaring: Churches, Trails and Geological Features

Guttaring offers a range of themes for a trip focused on culture, architecture or geology. Churches built in different periods showcase Romanesque, Late Gothic and Baroque features. There are also two trails, each with its own focus, and the “Field of Stone Lentils” between Guttaring and St. Gertraud. This means you can take your interests in excursions into account when choosing your destination.

Churches from Different Periods

Guttaring Church was first mentioned in a document in 1160. It is a Romanesque chancel-tower church that was extended in the Late Gothic period. The high altar also makes a distinctive impression: dating from around 1720, it has a monumental, two-storey column structure. Features from different periods thus come together in a single building.

St. Gertruden Church is small, with Romanesque and Gothic features, and stands on a hill surrounded by a wall. Inside is a tabernacle altar with carved figures of Saints Gertrude, Barbara and Catherine. Unlike the monumental column altar in Guttaring Church, this altar draws the eye to three figures of saints. Comparing the two churches highlights their different architectural and artistic features.

The building history of the Maria-Hilf Pilgrimage Church can be traced in more detail: construction of the stone church began in 1721, and by 1727 it had been completed as a unified Baroque complex. The high altar is attributed to Johann Pacher. The construction date and the attribution offer two different points of reference if you are interested in the church’s origins and furnishings.

Maria Waitschach Pilgrimage Church was first mentioned in 1390. It is a Late Gothic hall church with a roof-ridge turret-like western tower and a strongly recessed choir. This gives it a different architectural focus from the Baroque complex at Maria-Hilf. When viewing the church, it is worth paying attention not only to its period, but also to the distinctive shape of its tower and choir.

Deinsberg Church is the parish church of St. James and St. Anne. It is surrounded by a former fortified cemetery wall. A Late Romanesque charnel house stands northeast of the church. Its dedication, wall and charnel house are three distinct features that together offer a unique perspective on the historic complex.

Geology and Themed Trails

The “Field of Stone Lentils,” a geological feature where fossil nummulites are easy to find, lies between Guttaring and St. Gertraud. The market town of Guttaring has put up a wooden information board in front of the field. The site thus combines a specific geological theme with the opportunity to look for fossil finds during a visit.

For hikers, the Seven Churches Trail has a cultural and religious focus. This spiritual hike passes through beautiful landscapes and leads to seven historic churches, offering cultural and religious insights. The Guild Trail runs through Guttaring and is one of the seven “Mysterious Trails” of the Görtschitztal Valley. The trails can be distinguished by their stated themes: the Seven Churches Trail focuses on the seven churches and its spiritual character, while the Guild Trail is defined by its place in this network of trails. If you want to plan your stay around a particular interest, these trails offer different themes to explore without conflating the two.

Discover more destinations: Klein Sankt Paul, Treffling, Hüttenberg, Straßburg, Sadin, Seebauer, Eberstein, Deutsch Griffen.

For the overall travel overview: Sankt Veit An Der Glan.