Hilmteich

The Hilmteich is a man-made body of water in Graz, the city of Styria. Originally designed as a clay pit, the brick pond has evolved into a popular local recreation spot for the city’s residents.

The Hilmteich is located at 377 meters above sea level on the eastern side of Geidorf’s third district, near the exit of the Mariatroster valley. The Leechwald, which stretches on a Riedel north of the LKH University Hospital, borders the east and south banks. The brick-style Hilmwarte sits enthroned in the forest, 54 meters above the sea.A discharge from the Kroisbach, which also drains the region, feeds the pond. Graz lines 1 (tram) or 41 or 58 (bus) stop at the Hilmteich/Botanischer Garten double stop.

Despite the high recreational demands, the Hilmteich has a diverse aquatic life. Carp and aitel dominate the fish population.In the water, you may find freshwater mites, yellow smut beetles, water beetles, dorsal swimmers, water scorpions, and pond mussels, as well as toads, grass snakes, and dragonflies. Along with the more frequent duck, teal, pintail, and shoveler, as well as wagtail, barn swallow, and house martin, can be encountered as meal visitors. Nutria would occasionally escape from a fur farm in the past.

The region between Kroisbach, Hilmgasse, and today’s Heinrichstraße was known as “Auf der Hilm” or “Auf der Hülben (Hülm)” until the nineteenth century. This stems from the Old High German term huliwa and its Middle High German variants hülwe or hülbe, which imply swamp or puddle. The inn “Auf der Hilm” was located on Heinrichstraße (formerly Mariatrosterstraße). The name “An der Hülben” may be dated back to 1354, however it is now located in the neighborhood of Graz. The name Hilmerteich first appeared around 1850, from which the current name evolved.

In Styria, the same name stems from the villages of Breitenhilm (municipality of Vasoldsberg) in the once partly marshy Ferbersbach valley and Hilmberg near Friedberg, which also has swampy high meadows.

Fishing is offered all year, in addition to rowing boating in the summer and ice skating in the winter.The Hilmteich has zander, tench, rudd, roach, bitterlings, signal crayfish, perch, and sturgeon, in addition to carp, which had previously been reported for 1854. The pond is drained and cleaned on a regular basis to guarantee the cleanliness of the water. Furthermore, the Hilmteich, which can be circled in a few minutes by a coastal promenade, is a popular starting place for treks through the Leechwald or to Mariatrost, as well as excursions to Mariazell. The R 23 state bike path runs to Mariatrost from Hilmteich.

Between 1950 until 2011, the Schweizerhaus hosted the Kummer dance school, which has since grown to become Austria’s largest dance school.A high ropes course opened in the close neighborhood of the Leechwald’s trees in 2008.