Gloggnitz Attractions

Gloggnitz (442m/1,450ft; pop. 6,300) nestles in the Schwarza valley northeast of the Semmering pass. This little town is a popular summer resort, the starting point of the road and railroad over the Semmering and a good base for exploring the Raxalpe and Wechsel area, a mountain range rich in forests and pastureland, which forms the boundary between Lower Austria and Styria. On the Schlossberg stands Schloss Gloggnitz, a former Benedictine abbey (1084-1803), with remains of 16th C. defensive walls. The Gothic church was remodeled in Baroque style in the 18th C. and given a stucco flat ceiling; also to be seen are a statue of the Virgin (14th C.) and wall paintings from 1597. There is also a modern church, designed by Clement Holzmeister, the Christkönigkirche (Christ the King, 1933).