Kaunerberg: Waterway, Natural Landscape and Chapels

Kaunerberg combines waterways with a diverse landscape and religious sites. Specific points of interest for your trip include the Kaunerberg Waterway, a protected dry grassland complex, hiking routes and chapels in several districts.

Waterways and Cultural Landscape

The Kaunerberg Waterway runs from the mouth of the Inn near Faggen/Prutz through Kauns and Kaunerberg, and through the hamlets of Unterfalpetan and Oberfalpetan to the Gallruth tunnel. The hike can be started from Kaunerberg. The waterway also passes through an irrigation tunnel about 1 kilometre long—a striking feature of the route.

The Kaunerberg hillside canal was built in the late 1940s with funding from the Marshall Plan. It is 13 kilometres long and carries water from an altitude of around 2,000 metres to the dry slopes in Kaunerberg, Kauns and Faggen. Its length, elevation and construction period give the subject of water a tangible landscape and historical dimension.

Dry Grasslands, Ponds and Biodiversity

The Kauns-Kaunerberg-Faggen nature reserve encompasses dry grasslands, rocky ledges, shrub and woodland islets, and overgrown dry-stone walls, forming a diverse, species-rich habitat. Together with the Fließ sunny slopes, it forms the largest dry grassland complex in Tyrol. Surveys conducted in the 1970s recorded more than 500 plant species, 1,100 butterfly species and around 150 beetle species in the nature reserve. Kaunerberg is also an important part of the protected area for the Braunelle, the Tyrolean wild bee.

The Schnadiger pond offers a different kind of landscape: this irrigation pond lies right at the foot of the Hohe Aifnerspitze and is surrounded by a small patch of woodland. You can leave your car in the car park; from there, a gravel path suitable for pushchairs leads to the pond in about ten minutes. Fishing is possible from April to September and requires proof of having completed fishing instruction. Check local information about this before your trip.

Another special feature of the cultural landscape is one of North Tyrol’s largest fruit orchards, which has been in Kaunerberg since 1947.

Hiking Routes and Trails with Religious Connections

Kaunerberg is a good starting point for hikes and mountain bike tours in the surrounding mountains. The Aifner Alm–Falkauns Alm panoramic trail is a high-altitude hike along the sunny slopes of the front Kaunertal valley. It connects two welcoming alpine pastures and involves little elevation gain.

The “Aifner Alm Wheelchair Hike” route starts at the car park on Kaunerberger Straße or at the turn-off to Aifneralm and ends at Aifner Alm; both points are in Kaunerberg. As route conditions can change, check them before setting out.

Pilgrimage routes also follow specific trails: a hiking trail leads from Kaunerberg via Unterfalpetan, Oberfalpetan and Wiesenhof to the pilgrimage church of Kaltenbrunn. The pilgrimage routes from Kaunerberg and Kauns meet shortly before Engelsbach.

Chapels in the Hamlets

The chapels feature a range of architectural and historical details. The Unterfalpetan Chapel is in the district of the same name. The Prantacher Chapel in the hamlet of Prantach is a large, single-nave building with a 3/8 polygonal apse, dating from the 17th century. It houses a carved statue of the Madonna of Grace; its pedestal is marked with the year 1640.

The Chapel of St Martin is in the district of Obwals. Built in 1866, it is dedicated to St Martin. The Maierhof Chapel is a small octagonal central-plan building in the hamlet of Mairhof, dating from 1677. In a wood in the district of Brauneben stands the small, barrel-vaulted Brauneben Chapel, which dates from the 17th century.

Discover more destinations: Kappl-Bach, Langesthei, Ried Im Oberinntal, Ladis, Schönwies, Kappl, Pians, Galtür

Go to the main travel overview: Landeck.