Geras: Monastery, Art and Nature

When planning a stay in Geras, you can focus on the themes you would like to include: the history of the monastery complex, art and courses, or nature and outdoor activities. These themes differ considerably, ranging from medieval origins to a 6.3-kilometre hiking trail. In Geras, you can plan your stay around your personal interests: the monastery’s history, art courses, and nature and outdoor activities offer distinct focuses for planning your trip.

Monastery, Art and Garden

The monastery complex in Geras dates back to the Middle Ages; 1153 is now considered to be the founding year of Geras Abbey. The ceiling frescoes in the nave and choir of the abbey church were painted by Franz Zoller around 1770. These two historical reference points are far apart: the presumed founding belongs to the monastery’s early history, while the frescoes are part of the church’s later decoration. If you would like to include culture in your travel plans, this focus takes you from the history of the complex to a specific work of religious art. The nave is the main part of a church, extending lengthwise; the choir is the area by the altar used for worship. This distinction explains the different functions of the two spaces.

The Monastic Herb Garden contains more than 100 medicinal, culinary and ornamental plants. The mix combines plants with practical uses and ornamental plants, making the garden a destination in its own right for plant enthusiasts. For creative interests, akademie.GERAS offers art courses in painting, sculpture, ceramics, writing, jewellery making and photography. The subjects range from visual art and applied crafts to writing and photography. The courses focus on artistic practice, while the frescoes are historical works of art.

Nature Park, Hiking Trail and Edlersee

There is a bat discovery trail in Geras Nature Park. You can also observe mouflons, fallow deer, sika deer and red deer in spacious enclosures. These nature-related attractions have different focuses: the trail features bats, while the enclosures allow you to observe several named species of wild animals. Lange Teich is the largest carp pond in this chain of ponds, adding another nature-related feature of the pond chain.

The Edlerseeweg is a 6.3-kilometre hiking trail. Edlersee has a gently sloping beach for swimmers. The trail’s length and the beach’s characteristics answer different planning questions: the first indicates the distance of the hiking trail, while the second is relevant to those interested in swimming. This lets you plan hiking and swimming separately, then decide which themes are most important to you when looking for hotels in Geras.

Discover more destinations: Meiseldorf, Messern, Eggenburg, Rosenburg, Langau, Sigmundsherberg, Röschitz, Sankt Marein

For the wider travel overview: Horn.