30km/19mi farther down the Möll Valley from Winklern lies Obervallach (686m/2,251ft; pop. 2,500), renowned for its fine climate and many days of sunshine. Gold was discovered in this area in the Middle Ages and there are many old mine shafts still to be seen. The Late Gothic parish church of St Martin has a fine winged altar of 1520, painted by the Dutch artist Jan van Scorel; the central panel portrays the "Family of Christ", while the side panels show St Christopher and Apollonia.
Polinik (2,784m/9,137ft). the highest summit of the Kreuzeck group, lies some 5.5-6 hours distant from Obervellach; from the top there are extensive views. The Kreuzeck group is an almost uninhabited mountain mass, used for forestry, alpine pasture and hunting.
A shoemaker's workshop in Obervellach, in the Möll Valley, houses a collection of curiosities, including the shoes worn by Reinhold Messner when he climbed Mount Everest, Lucki Leitner's slalom skis from Sapporo, a rucksack worn by Luis Trenker and other sporting memorabilia, some autographed.
Tips: Information from the tourist office in Obervellach. The collection is private and visits can be arranged only on request.
At Ausserfragant, west of Obervellach, the grand Fragant valley joins the Möll valley and then ascends to the glaciers and reservoirs of the Goldberg group, with peaks rising to over 3,000m/9,800ft (Schareck is 3,122m/10,243ft).
Around the little town of Obervellach stand a number of imposing medieval castles - Oberfalkenstein (15th C.), Niederfalkenstein (1906), Groppenstein (12th-15th C.) and Schloss Trabuschgen (16th-18th C.). An impressive sight are the Groppensteiner Falls (40m/130ft fall) below Groppenstein castle. The road to the north leads to the Tauern railroad tunnel.
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