Thurn: Discover hiking and cultural heritage

Thurn offers two specific starting points for planning your trip: hiking trails within the municipality and a local history that can be read through protected buildings and the church. Numerous hiking and themed trails invite you to explore the area around the Lienz Valley floor. There are also named destinations such as the Neualpl Lakes and the Bird Experience Trail. Depending on your interests, you can focus on hiking, nature topics and cultural history.

Hiking trails and destinations around Thurn

The peaks of the Schober Group lie within the municipality of Thurn. One hike leads from Thurn to the Neualpl Lakes; hiking trails also lead into the Schober Group in Hohe Tauern National Park. This means that both a specific destination and a larger mountain area are associated with hiking from Thurn. Conditions and access can vary on alpine tours. Conditions can also vary on individual hiking trails.

In the northeastern part of the municipality, Thurn includes part of the high plateau in the Zettersfeld winter sports and hiking area. The toll road takes you to the starting points for tours in the Zettersfeld hiking area in just a few minutes. Road conditions and possible restrictions can vary, so it is best to check them before setting off. The combination of its high plateau setting and designated tour starting points makes Zettersfeld a distinct point of reference for planning your hikes.

The “Bird Experience Trail” offers a different focus: a total of 35 birds found in forests, fields and open countryside, or in built-up areas, are introduced at six stations. The examples therefore range from habitats outside settlements to the village itself. The trail connects the subject of birds with several different habitat types, adding a nature-focused perspective to the hiking destinations.

The Peace Trail can also be reached by public transport: the bus goes to the “Thurn Rottmann” stop. Bus details can change, so check the current timetable before travelling. This provides a specific stop for planning, while the other hiking routes described start from Thurn and lead to the Neualpl Lakes, Zettersfeld and the Schober Group.

Heritage-listed buildings and church history

According to the Tyrolean Register of the Federal Monuments Authority (as of 23 June 2026), the Catholic branch church of St Nicholas, the Zauchen Mill and the Kammerlander Hof farmhouse are listed as protected under an ordinance. The examples include a church, a mill and a farmhouse. The Kammerlanderhof is also a museum and gallery. These different kinds of historic buildings are among Thurn’s cultural points of interest.

The Gothic winged altar is also part of the history of Thurn’s church. It dates from 1496 and is now housed at the Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum. Its date takes us far back into the history of the church building; at the same time, the altar’s current location is elsewhere, not in the church in Thurn. If you are interested in religious history, St Nicholas Church is another special point of reference: it has been a Fatima pilgrimage site since 1943. Current service times may vary.

When choosing where to stay in Thurn, you can give these themes different weight: trails and mountain destinations sit alongside the Bird Experience Trail and the heritage-listed buildings. This lets you shape your visit around your interests without combining hiking destinations and cultural sites into a single route.

Discover more destinations: St. Veit In Defereggen, Sillian, Schlaiten, Heinfels, Leisach, Nikolsdorf, Amlach, Virgen

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