Attractions & Landmarks In Bad Gleichenberg
Table Of Contents
- 1 Parish church in Bad Gleichenberg
- 2 Franziskaner-Hospiz Bad Gleichenberg
- 3 Kurpark Bad Gleichenberg
- 4 Roman fountain in Bad Gleichenberg
- 5 Brunnenhaus Bad Gleichenberg
- 6 Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg
- 7 Styrasic Park
- 8 Related Articles
- 8.1 Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.2 Geography Of Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.3 Demographics Of Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.4 Economy Of Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.5 History Of Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.6 Best Time To Visit Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.7 How To Get To Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.8 Top 10 Restaurants in Bad Gleichenberg
- 8.9 Top 10 Hotels In Bad Gleichenberg
- 9 Go Next...
Parish church in Bad Gleichenberg
Roman Catholic parish church of St. Matthias is situated on a hill in the center of Bad Gleichenberg, Austria, a Styrian municipality. A historical monument, the church is a part of the Feldbach deanery in the diocese of Graz-Seckau. Rich history and outstanding architecture that capture the many stages of the church’s growth characterize it.
History of the Church
Nobleman Matthias Constantin Capello von Wickenburg, a supporter of the spa resort of Bad Gleichenberg, founded the chapel. In order to avoid having spa visitors constantly march to the church in the neighboring community of Trautmannsdorf, he had the bark chapel, often referred to as the woodland chapel, built on the spa grounds in 1838. As the town changed from Gleichenberg to a health resort in 1841, he sponsored the construction of a church since the chapel quickly became too small. Built in accordance with the designs of kuk Civilbau-Insp. Johann Neuwerth, the church and monastery were consecrated on June 29, 1845, by Emma von Wickenburg’s half-brother Bishop Zichy de Caden.
The Franciscan hospice and church were turned up to them on February 29, 1889. at 1940 the church at Trautmannsdorf was became a parish church in order to save the Franciscan monastery from being destroyed. As World War II came to an end, fighting on March 31, 1945, badly damaged the church and monastery as well as the town itself. In the years 1960–1962, the church was expanded by 19 meters. Consecrated were the new high altar and the expansion on May 1, 1962. In 1966 work began on the 14 stone Stations of the Cross. The designer of them was Rochus Haas. Closing to the monastery, the Franciscus Home was built between 1976 and 1978. In 1981–1982 the church had major repairs, and in 1984 the Stations of the Cross were installed. Rebuilding of the church plaza began in 1990, and interior renovations began in 1997.
Architecture of the Church
With a vaulted ceiling and a later recessed and enlarged chancel, the church is essentially a rectangle. On the north side was built a sacristy with two oratories. A ridge turret flanks the circular window on the historicised gable front. At the end of the choir is a 1961 sgraffito hl. Francis. Graz painter Max Meixner designed the cast-iron entrance door depicting the twelve apostles, which was made at a foundry close to Mariazell in 1844. Franz Weiss created the stained glass windows (1980). Under the cathedral are the tombs of the Wickenburg and Bruxelles families. On the north face of the building is a sgraffito that shows St. Francis preaching to the birds.
Artworks of the Church
The magnificent altarpiece by Joseph Tunner (1844) on the high altar shows the donor and his family devoted to the Blessed Mother and the patron saints Matthias, Emmerenzia, and John the Baptist. With him are the Gothic side figures, Barbara and Katharina, who date to approximately 1420. On the right side altar stands a Gothic figure of John dating to the second quarter of the 15th century. Wall niches have figures of Heinrich and Elisabeth from the second half of the 1800s. Führich claims that the Stations of the Cross are from the second half of the 1800s.
Franziskaner-Hospiz Bad Gleichenberg
The Foundation of the Monastery
The monastery was founded in 1841 when politician and nobleman Matthias Constantin Capello von Wickenburg gave the land and money needed to build a Franciscan monastery and a parish church. Devoutly Catholic, Wickenburg backed the Franciscan order, which upheld the principles of the Italian saint St. Francis of Assisi, who lived in the thirteenth century and taught peace, humility, and poverty.
Under the direction of architect Josef Schmalzhofer, the church and monastery were finished in 1845. Co-founder of the Jesuit order and Spanish missionary of the sixteenth century, St. Francis Xavier, was honored by the church. A Franciscan order branch called the Capuchin friars first lived in the monastery.
The Franciscan Era
Another branch of the Franciscan order, the Franciscan friars, took over the monastery in 1888 after the Capuchin friars left. For pilgrims, tourists, and the impoverished, the Franciscans founded a hospice. Together with overseeing the parish’s pastoral care, they also oversaw the neighboring communities of Bairisch Kölldorf, Merkendorf, and Trautmannsdorf.
The monastery developed into a center of religious and cultural events including processions, masses, retreats, talks, concerts, and exhibits. In addition, the friars kept up a garden, a museum, a library, and a beekeeping establishment. Together with its artistic and cultural assets, the monastery was renowned for its kindness and hospitality.
The Monastery Today
Currently held by the town of Bad Gleichenberg, the monastery building will be put to cultural and social use. Under the administration of the diocese of Graz-Seckau, the church is still available for service. The artistic and historical legacy of the monastery is maintained and on show in a number of places, including the Graz Franciscan Museum, the Diocesan Museum, and the Styrian Provincial Museum.
Among the most noteworthy aspects of the monastery are:
- The basic two-story construction had a cloister and a rectangular courtyard. Pilasters, cornices and a triangle pediment adorn the facade. One statue of St. Francis of Assisi, clutching a skull and a cross, marks the entry.
- Huge oil painting “The stigmatization of St. Francis” by Joseph Tunner (1852) hangs in the friars’ eating hall, the refectory. The image seen in the picture is that of St. Francis praying on Mount Alvernia in Italy when he received the wounds of Christ on his hands, feet, and side.
- The chapel of St. Anthony of Padua is dedicated to the patron saint of miracles and misplaced objects, a Portuguese friar and doctor of the church from the thirteenth century. The Teuffenbach Altar, a Renaissance altar from 1566, comes from Sauerbrunn Castle in Pöls, Upper Styria, not far from Thalheim. A wooden frame with carved sculptures and paintings that portray episodes from St. Anthony’s life makes up the altar. 1960 saw the restoration of the altar following fire damage.
Kurpark Bad Gleichenberg
Park Kurpark Bad Gleichenberg, sometimes called Curpark, is a spa park situated in the Austrian state of Styria’s Bad Gleichenberg municipality. About 20 hectares in size, the park is a garden-architectural monument that was established in 1837. Representing the oldest spa park in Austria, it offers a wide range of attractions including antique structures, monuments, fountains, and a varied assortment of trees and flowers.
The History of the Park
Nobleman and politician Matthias Constantin Capello von Wickenburg, who was interested in the growth and application of the local healing springs, built the park. His Gleichenberger und Johannisbrunnen Actien Verein was founded in 1834, and it gathered money for the park’s and the spa’s development.
Legend holds that Matthias Constantin’s wife Emma Wickenburg created the park in the manner of an English landscape garden. As the location for the park, she selected the Sulzleitner or Brunnental branch of the Gleichenberger valley. Building of the park followed the Eichgraben, a creek that runs through the valley.
Apart from serving as a haven for leisure, the park also served as a display for the architectural and spa culture of the day. A café, a bathhouse, a filling house, a shower bath, a fountain house (now a museum), and other buildings were constructed in tandem with the park. Overlooking one of the area’s principal springs, the Constantinquelle, was constructed the fountain house, formerly known as the fountain temple.
A forested region atop a basalt hill that was included into the park is known as the “Chapel Forest.” Built for the spa patrons in 1838, the bark chapel, sometimes referred to as the forest chapel, is located in the woodland. The chapel is elegantly basic and constructed of wood and bark. A small number of the 1838-planted plane trees are still in existence today.
The park was extended southward in the late 19th and early 20th century when the region was drained and a network of pathways fashioned like a star was created and planted. The park was declared a tree planting (arboretum) and landscape garden in 1923. It has been largely utilized by bikers and pedestrians since 1970.
The Features of the Park
The public park’s polygonal form is derived from a roughly triangular, somewhat twisted fundamental shape. Around 2.5 kilometers is its diameter, and 20 hectares is its size. At some places, the park rises to a height of 303 meters above sea level from its base of 268 meters.
Numerous streets, including Ringsstraße, Untere Brunnenstraße, Obere Brunnenstraße, Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Straße, and others, encircle the park. Every area of the park has its own personality and set of attractions.
Being encircled by hills that make up the valley in which it is situated, the park provides a distinctive geological and visual background. For the park, which has a range of flora and animals, the valley offers a safe and favourable environment. Particularly well-known for its trees include tulip trees, paper mulberry trees, bald cypresses, zelkova, and so on. Standing at 35 meters in height and 7 meters in diameter, the 150-year-old big sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is among the most magnificent trees in the park.
Along with the memorial stele to “well doctor” Willi W. Prasil, who pioneered spa medicine in the region, the park also has statues of Joseph Hammer-Purgstall, Matthias Constantin Capello von Wickenburg, and the young deity Harpocrates, who stands for secrecy and silence.
Other fountains in the park include the one on the Kurhaus level, which houses the main spa building, and has a big basin and two bowls. Where the Eichgraben, Klausenbach, and Faule Sulz streams confluence to form the Sulzbach stream is the Gleichenberger gorge access area, home of the historic fountain house and the now-inoperable Roman fountain.
Apart from its historical value and scenic beauty, the park hosts social and cultural events. All year long, the park puts on a variety of activities including concerts, festivals, exhibitions, and so on. Tourists and locals alike frequent the park because of its tranquil and restful environment.
Roman fountain in Bad Gleichenberg
Roman fountain, a stone basin from the first century AD found in 1835, is one of the most impressive sights in Bad Gleichenberg.
Part of the original thermal spa, constructed in 1845, the Roman fountain is housed in the antique drinking fountain. The spa visitors—many of them were nobles—took their daily iron-free Gleichenberg water remedy at the drinking fountain. The water was supposed to be able to cure rheumatism, gout, and neurological problems among other ailments.
Additionally housed in the drinking fountain is the Curmuseum, an intriguing display on the background and anecdotes of Bad Gleichenberg and its notable visitors. Over 180 years of spa history are represented at the museum via unique antiques and collectibles, including room locks, travel utensils, and photographs of well-known guests. They included writer Peter Rosegger, Prince Emmerich of Thurn and Taxis, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and Emperor Franz Josef I.
Publicly accessible Roman fountain and Curmuseum provide fascinating insights into the sometimes fairly famous history of the classic spa town.They are also proof of the lengthy spa history, which is the foundation of the over 200 years of therapeutic experience.
Brunnenhaus Bad Gleichenberg
The Brunnenhaus Bad Gleichenberg is a former pump chamber fountain house located in the Styrian town of Bad Gleichenberg.A listed building, it has been used as a spa town history museum since 2012.
The effects of the water from the Johannisbrunnen fountain were written about in 1822 by doctor Ignaz Werlè, the brother-in-law of Archduke Johann of Austria.He persuaded Gubernial deputy director for Styria Matthias Constantin Capello von Wickenburg to go with him on a sightseeing trip at Johannisbrunnen near Straden and Sulzleithen near Gleichenberg.Gleichenberg’s health resort construction was expected to cost 80,000 guilders.First constructed at Sulzleithen in 1835–1836, the filling house or manipulation building was followed in 1837 by the fountain temple over the Konstantinquelle and other necessary spa buildings.118 members of higher aristocratic society visited the spa from May until the end of September 1837.
The fountain house was rebuilt in 1950 atop the Konstantinquelle, according to the designs of architect Karl Lebwohl, when Austria was liberated in the latter stages of World War II.The pavilion-like construction of the old fountain temple was included into the design.Within the conical roof of the cylinder-shaped building is a lantern with a knob-like spherical roof finish.On the northern semicircle of the outer wall are five tall windows.The southern semicircle of the outside wall was designed in a quadrant with a lower five-column glass on the entry side.Wolfgang Buchner’s 1990 work Above the Springs is included in the bowl-shaped ceiling under the conical roof, which also has a circular window in the middle.The 1950 drinking fountain for the Marianaquelle and Konstantinquelle is no longer in use.Water from the drinking fountain was scattered over the circular fence surrounding it.
Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg
The Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg in the Southeast Styrian hill region may be of interest to you if you’re seeking for a golf course that blends natural beauty, peace and challenge. Established in 1984, this nine-hole course has been upgraded and refurbished lately to provide an excellent golfing experience.
The Course
The nine holes at Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg are not your average nine. Its varied topography, obstacles, and hazards are intended to test even the most seasoned golfers. The 5,486-meter course is par 70. Narrow fairways, steep hills, water hazards, and well-placed bunkers are all aspects of it. The fast, well-kept greens demand for accurate putting.
Natural surrounds and picturesque vistas are further features of the course. Southeast Styrian hill country is a patchwork of woods, orchards, vineyards, and undulating hills. The course’s natural mix in with the surroundings fosters a calm and restful environment. Playing while taking in the expansive vistas, birdsong, and fresh air.
The Clubhouse and Restaurant
The Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg has a clubhouse and restaurant where you may unwind and relax after a demanding game of golf. Socialize with other players, peruse the pro shop, or utilize the locker rooms and showers in the warm and inviting clubhouse. The Gallhammer family runs a culinary wonder of a restaurant. Fresh and in season ingredients are used to prepare both local and foreign cuisine. Particularly well-known are the roasted fried chicken and the beef cheeks with gnocchi and grilled vegetables. Indulge with a bottle of local wine or beer and take in the course view from the patio.
How to Get There
About sixty kilometers south of Graz, the capital of Styria, is the village of Bad Gleichenberg, home to the Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg. Driving to the club, take the A2 and get off at Gleisdorf Süd. Proceed thereafter in the direction of Feldbach and Bad Gleichenberg. About three km separate the club from the town centre. The club is also reachable via bus or cab after taking the train from Graz to Feldbach.
Contact and Booking
You may visit the Golf Club Bad Gleichenberg website or give them a call or email if you would want to play there. April through October sees the club operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Green fees are thirty euros for nine holes and fifty euros for eighteen. A discount is also available for online bookings and members of other golf clubs. Tournaments, equipment rentals, and golf instruction are among services provided by the facility. More details are available on www.golf-badgleichenberg.at, their website.
Styrasic Park
An entertaining and instructive family trip may be found at Styrassic Park, an amusement park located in the Styrian village of Bad Gleichenberg. About ninety-five life-size dinosaur reconstructions, from the little Compsognathus to the enormous Brachiosaurus, may be seen in Styrassic Park. These extinct animals may be strolled among and their habitats, habits, and evolution studied.
Along with being a dinosaur park, Styrassic Park is a tree hotel. Amid the sounds of the natural world and the roars of dinosaurs, you may spend the night in one of the comfortable wooden huts. The park offers other amenities such the café, playground, climbing area, and Dino-tooth casting station. While a day pass for adults costs 12 euros and for kids 9 euros, a stay at a tree hotel costs 99 euros per person, which includes breakfast and park entrance.
In East Styria, a volcanic area well-known to tourists and abounding in hot springs, lies Styrassic Park. Being at the foot of extinct volcanoes, the park boasts a distinctive and picturesque setting. Ancient history of the area and the well-known Jurassic Park film served as inspiration for the concept of building a dinosaur-themed park here. A combination of the Latin-English names Jurassic Park and Styria is “Styrassic Park.”
Following almost two years of design and building, the park opened on March 27, 1999. Working under the scientific direction of Berlin’s Humboldt University, around 30 artists put in almost 21,400 hours producing the first 60 dinosaur models. The park has grown and added additional dinosaurs along with other attractions since then. For its dinosaur models, the park currently employs around 400 tons of concrete and 30 tons of steel.
With its real fossils and educational materials, the dinosaur pavilion is one of the park’s attractions. A video about the evolution of life on Earth and a simulated volcanic explosion are also available. An interesting draw is the 15-meter-long animatronic Spinosaurus, which moves and makes noises. Regularly on show at the park, the Spinosaurus may even be fed with special tokens.
Anyone that like dinosaurs and the outdoors should definitely visit Styrassic Park. You may discover more about their amazing world and enjoy the excitement of up close viewing these magnificent creatures. April through October, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Styrassic Park is open.
