Waasen am Berg: Village Cross, Chapel and Vitality Trail

Visitors who choose Waasen am Berg as their destination can get to know the area through several specific themes: religious landmarks with traditions that continue to this day, the Vitality Trail leading to a farm shop, and tastings and a small place to rest. The historic crosses and chapel offer a different focus from the combination of hiking and local products. To plan your trip, you can first decide whether history, exercise or culinary experiences should take centre stage.

Crosses and Chapel

The Waasen village cross bears the year 1871. To this day, the blessing of Easter foods and prayers for the fields are held there. A historic date and present-day traditions come together at this location. If you would like to include local practices in your travel plans alongside religious buildings, the cross offers a specific point of reference.

The Waasen Plague Cross is documented as a masonry wayside shrine in a boundary description from around 1646. This approximate date is part of the historical context of the description. Compared with the village cross, which bears the year 1871, the focus here is on an earlier written mention and a specifically identified architectural form.

The Chapel of Mary Queen is located in Waasen am Berg and was built in Waasenberg in 1883. It adds another distinct building to the two crosses. The three dates help distinguish the sites historically: 1871 is the date on the village cross, around 1646 is the date associated with the boundary description mentioning the Plague Cross, and 1883 is the year the chapel was built. These are therefore not three dates of the same kind.

Vitality Trail and Farm Shop

The Vitality Trail leads to Waasen and the Schillinger family’s farm shop, where vegetable, pumpkin seed oil and mustard specialities are available. This gives the hike a clearly identified destination and a specific connection to local products. If you would like to include shopping in your hike, you can take this into account when planning.

Tastings and a Place to Rest

There is also a small place to rest along the Vitality Trail at the Leber Winery in Waasen. This offers a different practical connection to the route from the farm shop: here, you can take a break along the way, while the trail also leads to a place to shop. This lets you decide whether a stop or a destination with a farm shop is more important to you.

The Leber Winery offers tastings of wines, fine spirits, juices, vinegars and Isabella grape jam. The winery also has a bird- and butterfly-friendly garden. The tasting selection differs from the vegetable, pumpkin seed oil and mustard specialities at the Schillinger family’s farm shop; the two offerings appeal to different product interests.

If you plan to visit a tasting, farm shop or place to rest, check in advance whether the respective offerings are available at the time of your visit.

Discover more destinations: Weinburg Am Saßbach, Deutsch Goritz, Gruisla, Neusetz, Deutsch Haseldorf, Reiting, Marktl, Halbenrain

Go to the overview of the wider region: Southeast Styria.