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Ruins of the Barbarakapelle The ruins of the Barbarakapelle from the 6th century © Helmut Dumler, Gerhard Hirtlreiter, Eugen E. HüslerPhoto: Helmut Dumler, Gerhard Hirtlreiter, Eugen E. Hüsler, Rother Bergverlag
A place full of secrets, shrouded in legend. Geologically, the glacier-polished porphyry ridge is an extension of the Mitterberg, from which it is now separated by the Adige river; botanically and zoologically, the juxtaposition of extremely dry and swampy moist locations makes it highly interesting. While on the sunny exposed dry slopes you encounter barberries, blackberries, hawthorns, dog-rose, European ash, and bald cypress, various houseleek species, wall pennywort, and spurges thrive in the moist hollows, where even some tiny water lobels persist, along with sedges, feverfew, water lilies, and irises. Castelfeder is home to many insects, including several butterfly species; the hedge-rich terrain provides a habitat for the emerald lizard, and with some luck you might even spot a praying mantis. The settlement history of Castelfeder is really surrounded by mystery: about 160 prehistoric (Bronze Age) pit dwellings, remains of Roman and Early Medieval buildings – but no documented written records. No wonder the hill is known to locals as Rabenkofel and – at least in the past – was associated with all kinds of spooks and ghostly events. Such notions hardly deter the enlightened visitor. Yet it is difficult to entirely escape the atmosphere of this place – after all, there is still a remnant of the primeval human in Homo sapiens »digitalis«...
From the parking lot, we cross the hairpin bend (360 m), head towards the lower end of the bend, and follow the signposted downhill hiking trail. At a trail junction (345 m) near the almost silted-up Long Lake, we cross a driveway and continue in a wide left curve. Soon we pass the information board (358 m) by the Black Lake. At the next fork, we keep left. After a short steep section, we have climbed the main ridge at the ruins of the medieval upper castle (400 m). We follow the ridge south to a junction where we will later start the descent. Before that, we continue straight ahead to the Barbara Chapel (409 m) from the 6th century. West of it, somewhat lower down – unmistakable – lie the famous »Kuchelen«, the remains of a 500 m long ring wall built around 500 AD as protection against the Lombards. The photogenic stone arches can be reached off-path, as can the fertility slide in the upper rocks. It is also largely optional to roam around the terrain during the return hike up to the
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