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The Romanesque double columns of the Millstatt Abbey cloister

Abbey & Museum

Millstatt Abbey

Millstätter See · Carinthia

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Abbey & Museum
COUNTRY
Austria
REGION
Millstätter See · Carinthia
DURATION
2–3 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

Carinthia’s great Romanesque abbey (c. 1070) — Benedictine, knightly and Jesuit in turn, with a cloister of carved double columns.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

Founded by Aribo II and Poto around 1070, documented by Pope Callixtus II in 1122; the Order of Saint George era (1469–1598) left the fortified palace, and the Jesuits ran a college until 1773.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

Romanesque cloister with double columns (c. 1170)

02

The Domitian legend fresco

03

Order’s Castle of the St. George knights

04

Monastery museum in the St. Wolfgang crypt

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The most important ecclesiastical building in Upper Carinthia — and the reason the lake has its shape of legend.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

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MAP & LOCATION

Millstatt Abbey

Millstatt Abbey, Millstätter See, Carinthia, Austria

46.8042, 13.5708

Open in OpenStreetMap

MORE ATTRACTIONS

More to see in Millstätter See

The MS Seeboden excursion ship on Lake Millstatt
Lake Cruise

Lake Cruises & the Peter Pan Cycle Ferry

Three vessels work the lake from May to October: the MS Kärnten (300 passengers, the only one carrying bikes), the MS Seeboden and the centenarian electric Aribo of 1912. The grand round trip takes 2.5 hours across eight docks; the Schuster family’s ferries “Peter Pan” and “Moby Dick” shuttle cyclists between the shores, cutting the lake loop in half. Sunday brunch and sunset cruises run in high summer.

View attraction
The Garnet Gate on the ridge of the Millstätter Alpe above the lake
Hiking & Legend

Sentiero dell’Amore & the Granattor

The “path of love” climbs 6.4 km from the Alexanderhütte (1,786 m) along the Millstätter Alpe ridge to the Granattor — a massive stone gate you walk through hand-in-hand for the first view of the lake, at 2,066 m. Seven stations with benches and books ask couples questions about love; garnets, the region’s “stone of love”, glitter in the path’s walls. It began as Dr. Alexander Pupovac’s courting walk around 1900.

View attraction
The summit cross of the Mirnock above Lake Millstatt
Mountain

Mirnock — the World Mountain

The mystical peak on the lake’s eastern end — the “Weltberg” of Carinthian legend, where witches were said to dance — rises to 2,110 m straight from the water. The 14 km circular hike climbs through beech forest to summit views of the whole lake and the Hohe Tauern; the gentler Slow Trail ends at the Sternenbalkon, a star-gazing platform for sunsets. The Mirnock farmers on its slopes serve “Mirnock eyes” pastry at their alpine inns.

View attraction
The garnet — the red “drops of blood” — of the Nockberge on display at the Granatium
Museum & Mining

Granatium Radenthein

Between the lake and Bad Kleinkirchheim, the Granatium celebrates the garnet — the “drop of blood of the Nockberge” once mined here. The Garnet Room is built from 80 tons of garnet slabs; the 300-metre Carbuncle Tunnel leads to Europe’s only accessible garnet vein; and in the mining area everyone chips their own garnet out of the rock — guaranteed find, hammer and goggles provided.

View attraction
A sandy beach with swans on the shore of Lake Millstatt
Lake & Villages

Beaches & Villages: Millstatt, Seeboden & Döbriach

The water reaches 26–27 °C in stable summer spells, stays swimmable into autumn thanks to the lake’s sheer volume, and carries drinking-quality status. Millstatt keeps the abbey, the Schillerstrand lido and its fin-de-siècle villa promenade; Seeboden the western bay, sailing school and the Blumenpark; Döbriach the Sagamundo legend museum, four lidos and sandy family beaches. The forested southern shore, crossed only by footpaths and the ferry, is the wild side.

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THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Cycle the Lake Loop

02

Hike the Millstätter Alpe & Alpe-Adria-Trail

03

Swim, Sail and Paddle

04

Legends and Garnets with Kids

05

Camp by the Deep Water

06

Day Trips: Bad Kleinkirchheim, Goldeck & the Nockalmstraße

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Restaurant at the Seehotel am See (Seeboden) — lakeside terrace kitchen with regional classics

02

Strandhotel Pichler (Döbriach) — Austrian classics and ice cream on the best lakeside terrace of the east bay

03

Hotel Forelle (Millstatt) — the lake’s fish restaurant, trout from its own waters since 1897

04

Alexanderhütte (Millstätter Alpe, 1,786 m) — alpine hut classics at the start of the path of love

05

Gasthof Laggerhof (southern shore) — the wild shore’s classic stop, boat-accessible

06

Gasthof Perauer (Seeboden) — traditional Carinthian inn with garden, minutes from the bay

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Romantikhotel Seefischer — directly on the water in Millstatt, the lake’s romantic classic

02

Hotel See-Villa — historic villa on the Millstatt promenade with beachfront restaurant

03

Seehotel Steiner (Seeboden) — 100-year family tradition on the western bay with its own beach

04

Familienhotel Post (Millstatt) — the region’s dedicated kids-and-sports hotel

05

Seecamping Mössler (Döbriach) — top-100 European camping with heated pool

06

Naturhotel Alpenrose (Obermillstatt) — organic nature hotel above the lake with farm cooking

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ITINERARIES

Day-by-day routes

Deep Water and High Pastures — Millstätter See1 day

Deep Water and High Pastures

The lake loop by boat and bike, the abbey, the alpe’s love path and a garnet mined by your own hand — the lake’s whole story in one day.

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Two Lakes and a Mountain: Millstatt, Bad Kleinkirchheim & the Mirnock — Millstätter See1 day

Two Lakes and a Mountain: Millstatt, Bad Kleinkirchheim & the Mirnock

From the deep lake over the Radenthein road to the spa valley — and the mystical Mirnock between them.

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NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Bad Kleinkirchheim

Bad Kleinkirchheim

Carinthia

Ossiacher See

Ossiacher See

Carinthia

Villach & Faaker See

Villach & Faaker See

Carinthia

Klagenfurt & Wörthersee

Klagenfurt & Wörthersee

Carinthia

PART OF

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