The little market town of Matrei in Osttirol (to be distinguished from Matrei am Brenner), a popular health, winter sports and tourist resort, nestles delightfully below the south side of the Hohe Tauern, where the Iseltal widens near to its junction with the Tauerntal. The town has been easily accessible from the north since the opening of the Felber-Tauern Tunnel (5,200m/5,700yds long) in 1967. It is a good base for walks and climbs in the surrounding valleys and mountains.
8km/5mi northeast of Kals (toll road) we reach the Lucknerhaus (1,848m/6,063ft; inn), the starting point of a seven hour climb to the summit of the Grossglockner (3,797m/12,458ft).
Northeast of the Iseltal the Kalser Tal goes to the village of Kals (1,325m/4,347ft), 13km/8mi from the Felber Tauern road. The slopes above the village on the Glocknerblick have been developed as a skiing area (lifts).
The church of St Nicholas, a little way out of the town of Matrei in Osttirol, dates from the Romanesque period. There are 14th C. frescos on the facade. The tower, extended to form a choir, opens onto the nave at two levels; on the lower floor are some 13th C. frescos (including the story of Adam and Eve), and on the upper portrayals of saints and the Apostles (c. 1270). Also of interest are the medieval wooden figures.
16km/10mi north of Matrei in Osttirol rises the Matreier Tauernhaus (1,512m/4,961ft), at the entrance to the tunnel, from which a bridlepath leads up (three hours) to the St Pöltner Hütte on the Felber Tauern pass (2,481m/8,140ft). The Felber Tauern, between the Venediger and Glockner groups, connects Salzburg with the eastern Tirol and the Felbertal with the Tauerntal (there has been a tunnel under it since 1964-65).
From Hinterbichl (1,331m/4,367ft), west of Matrei in Osttirol, at the end of the road, there is a pleasant walk up the Dorfer Tal past a number of waterfalls, including the almost subterranean Gumpbachfall.
Between Kals and Lienz lies the Schober group, the highest peak in which is the Hochschober (3,240m/10,630ft), best climbed from St Johann im Walde (749m/2,457ft) by way of the Hochschoberhütte (2,322m/7,618ft); the climb to the hut takes 4.5 hours, to the peak another 3.5 hours.
In the center of the little town of Matrei in Osttirol, so typical of those in the Alpine regions, stands the imposing Late Baroque parish church of St Alban (c. 1780), with its 14th C. Gothic tower. The interior is decorated with frescos (c. 1780); the altars date from about 1800.
On a limestone crag, forming a landmark high above Matrei in Osttirol, stands Schloss Weissenstein (1,029m/3,376ft). It was built in the 19th C. and is now privately owned.
The mouth of the Virgental lies to the west of Matrei in Osttirol. A road 17km/11mi long leads up the valley to Hinterbichl, passing through gorges and several tunnels, opening up a view of the head of the valley, with the Dreiherrenspitze (3,499m/11,480ft).
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Panorama Road
Grossglockner, Matrei in Osttirol
Grossglockner, Matrei in Osttirol
Grossglockner, Matrei in Osttirol
Grossglockner, Matrei in Osttirol
Grossglockner, Matrei in Osttirol
