Rail & Trail "Fresach – Hidden Plateau & Secret Protestants"

From the Weißenstein-Kellerberg station in the middle of the Drava Valley, we walk with views of the rocky forested slopes of the Mirnock through the scattered village of Weißenstein to the edge of the valley plain. There the ascent begins. A natural driving path leads gently uphill through shady mixed forest along the mountain slope – ideal for recharging. A small hillside settlement opens up views of the patchwork of fields in the Drava Valley, then follows a quiet feeder road through dense mountain forest further uphill. Suddenly, a spacious rural woodland oasis surprises: lush mountain meadows, scattered fruit trees, and idyllic farm hamlets. From its upper forest edge, we hike on magnificent forest paths through ancient mountain forest to the highest point of this tour. Finally, the view opens up to the hidden rural plateau of Fresach and the pretty scattered village. The Catholic church dominates the plateau, and the Protestant church quietly blends into the village fabric – a symbol of the town's history. In the 16th century, the majority of the population was Protestant. During the Counter-Reformation, Protestantism was banned and had to be practiced in secret. Bibles and prayer books were smuggled at great personal risk. Knowing this, the plateau appears in a different light. 

From the village, we follow the well-known "Path of the Book" through fertile fields and lush meadows to the edge of the extensive plateau. There we immerse ourselves in beautiful mixed forest, cross the mountain slope on nice forest paths downhill, and descend a steep forest trail down into the Drava Valley to the Paternion-Feistritz station.