From the gondola's top station via Lanseralm and Sistranseralm to the Heiligwasser mountain restaurant and down to Igls.
Photo: Heiligwasser
The Legend of Heiligwasser
In 1606 two young shepherds walked through the woods on the northern slope of the Patscherkofel looking for their lost cows. On the edge of despair they asked the Mother of God for help. She pointed the way to the cows but asked the boys to build a chapel in her honor at this place where all of a sudden a spring was bubbling up from the ground. Since the boys were afraid of the villagers' ridicule they decided to keep the miracle to themselves. One of them, however, kept returning to this place. One day he was sitting there with a mute boy when another miracle occurred: the mute boy started to talk. Disabused, the shepherd told his story to the abbot of Wilten who, in 1661, decided to build a chapel.
The chapel was consecrated in 1665 by Bishop Jesse Perghofer. The miraculous image of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus is very old and highly worshiped. Many kings and queens visited Heiligwasser – quite unusual at that time when traveling was not very common. Emperor Ferdinand I and the Duke of Modena visited the chapel on July 18, 1848, King Friedrich of Saxony on August 1, 1852 and Emperor Franz Josef in 1848.
Heiligwasser is also famous for its refreshing spring.
Heiligwasser
Hiking time: 3 hours
