Municipality of Gratwein – Culture, History and Trails

Gratwein offers several specific points of interest to help you plan your trip: historic buildings and art in the town, as well as cycling and hiking opportunities in the municipality and region. The Bad Weihermühle bathing lake is also among the named excursion destinations in Gratwein-Straßengel. Depending on whether your interest lies in architectural history, a cycling route or a hiking stage, you can choose different focal points.

Culture and History in Gratwein

Several hundred-year-old townhouses stand in the centre of Gratwein; the centre is one of the excursion destinations. St. Rupert’s Parish Church is a prominent architectural landmark. It is considered an important example of a Late Gothic hall church and has a partially Romanesque core. The church is dedicated to Saint Rupert and is located in one of Styria’s oldest original parishes. The church complex is in the cadastral municipality of Gratwein. In the Federal Monuments Office inventory dated 23 June 2026, it is listed as a protected monument; the same applies to the so-called Roman Bridge in Gratwein.

In the district of Gratwein, you can also admire Othmar Krenn’s Art Train. Another historic landmark in the Municipality of Gratwein-Straßengel is Rein Abbey, where a Cistercian monastery has operated continuously since 1129. Together with the town centre, the church and the Roman Bridge, these form a cultural focus encompassing art as well as religious and architectural history.

Cycling and Hiking

Several cycling routes pass through or near Gratwein. Gratwein-Straßengel lies directly on the Mur Cycle Path, which runs from the source of the Mur in Lungau to Bad Radkersburg. The Liebochtal Cycle Path R56 passes through Gratwein and ends at the Mur Cycle Path R2. The Weinland Styria Cycle Tour also passes through Gratwein on its way to Graz. The routes can be distinguished by their course: the Mur Cycle Path is defined by its two endpoints, the R56 by its route through Gratwein and its terminus at the R2, and the Weinland Styria Cycle Tour by its direction towards Graz.

For hiking, you can choose between a specific stage and a regional trail. Stage 5 of the Graz Mountainland Hiking Trail runs from Gratwein to Judendorf-Straßengel. The Graz Mountainland Hiking Trail connects Gratwein-Straßengel, as part of the region, with Frohnleiten, Übelbach, Deutschfeistritz, Peggau and Gratkorn, along with their cultural and natural attractions. Gratwein also offers the “Hörgas, Bäckerseppl and Gsoller” walking and hiking route.

Shady forest paths in Gratwein-Straßengel pass by, among other sights, eight impressive natural tree monuments. This is another hiking option within the municipality. The pilgrimage route “From Rein Abbey to the Styrian Steffl” runs through the area around Gratwein; along the way, you pass an elaborately constructed Way of the Cross. This gives you a choice between a named stage, a regionally connecting hiking trail, a walking and hiking route, and a pilgrimage route with a Way of the Cross.

Bad Weihermühle

The Bad Weihermühle bathing lake is located in Gratwein-Straßengel and has a water surface of 15,000 m². This named bathing lake adds a recreational destination to the municipality’s cultural attractions and cycling and hiking opportunities. When planning your trip, you can consider it as a separate leisure option alongside the historic buildings and routes through Gratwein.

Discover more destinations: Kumberg, Hausmannstätten, Seiersberg, Attendorf, Taschen, Gratkorn, Unterfriesach, Fernitz Bei Graz

Back to the overarching travel overview: Graz-Umgebung.