Soboth: Hiking in the Dreiländereck

Soboth lies on the southwestern foothills of the Koralpe in the Dreiländereck, where Styria, Carinthia and Slovenia meet. Hiking options range from the alpine pastures of the Koralpe and the hiking village to the vineyards of southwestern Styria. This offers several ways to plan your trip: you can focus on a specific route, cultural and historical themes, or activities at the Soboth Reservoir.

Hiking with different route connections

The Jakobihaus serves as a hiking base and starting point for hikes in the hiking village of Soboth. The “Wild Hiking Feistritzbach” tour also starts there and follows the Feistritzbach upstream. This tour therefore has both a local starting point and a defined direction. Those wishing to compare hiking trails will find a different kind of reference point on other routes: the North–South Trail 05 is a section of the European long-distance hiking route E6. The Via Alpina leads from Lavamünd to the hiking village of Soboth on the Carinthian border.

For the North–South Trail, its connection to the E6 is the key point; for the Via Alpina, it is the route from Lavamünd to Soboth. These details offer different points of reference when choosing a hiking route. The hiking region also stretches geographically from the alpine pastures of the Koralpe to the vineyards of southwestern Styria. Soboth can therefore be understood not only through one named trail, but also through the wider range of its hiking region.

Glassmaking history, churches and trail profiles

The Glassworks Circular Trail starts in Soboth and passes the ruins of the Upper Glassworks and a historic lime kiln. The lime kiln supplied the nearby former glassworks; the circular trail offers insight into the region’s glassmaking heyday. Its theme thus connects a hike with the history of glass production. If you also value historical context when choosing a trail, this route is shaped by the remnants of the former glassmaking industry.

Soboth’s churches also offer specific historical points of reference. The parish church of St. James the Elder in Soboth is first mentioned in 1545 and was built between 1702 and 1704. The branch church of St. Leonard in Zambichl was built between 1645 and 1653. For the parish church, therefore, the first recorded mention and the construction period are distinct; the dates given for St. Leonard refer to its construction period. The two sets of dates can thus be distinguished rather than read as equivalent kinds of information.

The Marian Apparition Trail in Soboth is a circular route with a clearly changing profile: it descends steeply to the Marian Grotto on the Feistritzbach and then climbs at a moderate level of difficulty to a pilgrimage church. Compared with “Wild Hiking Feistritzbach,” which starts at the Jakobihaus and follows the stream upstream, the stream plays a different role in this route. On the circular trail, the descent to the grotto is followed by the climb to the church; on the other tour, the upstream direction is central.

Soboth Reservoir and other activities

At the Soboth Reservoir, you can go diving, swimming, boating, sailing, surfing and camping. The two camping locations differ: a motorhome pitch is by the leisure centre, while a tent site is right by the lake. When planning, you can therefore distinguish between activities in and on the water and the different camping options without treating them as the same thing.

In the heart of the hiking village of Soboth is the “Path of Transformations” adventure trail, with many activity stations for families and adventure seekers. Pony trekking in Soboth starts in Untersoboth at Kulma. The Soboth Adventure Tour 125 is a challenging mountain bike route featuring quiet places of strength, alpine views and a biking adventure. These activities offer different experiences: the adventure trail is aimed at families and adventure seekers, while the mountain bike route is explicitly described as challenging. For pony trekking, the starting point provides a specific point of reference.

Several clearly distinct themes are available when choosing your destination: hiking trails with a local or regional connection, a route exploring glassmaking history, a circular trail combining a steep descent with a moderately challenging climb, and activities at the reservoir. Which of these you want to make the focus of your stay depends on whether you would like to prioritise hiking, cultural history, water activities or one of the other activities mentioned.

Discover more destinations: Aug, Graschuh, Mainsdorf, Wiel, Hörmsdorf, Greisdorf, Pölfing-Brunn, Gamsgebirg.

For the overview of the wider region: Deutschlandsberg.