A well-designed and well marked pilgrimage route runs for almost 800 kilometers from the far east (Wolfsthal) to the far west (Feldkirch) through Austria. In this uppermost part of the Jakobswegs - like the formation of the feiner Adern - the single mountain passes are the only ones to be found. This is where the Jakobsweg Burgenland, where a variant of the Hungarian Jakobsweges is born. From the north comes the Jakobsweg Weinviertel. From Böhmen you reach the Jakobsweg Oberes Mühlviertel and from Bayern the Hauptast. From the south, the southern Austrian Jakobsweg, which runs through Graz, Slowenia, Kärnten, Osttirol and South Tyrol, is located in Innsbruck.
How do I come to the conclusion that it is a spiritual journey? Ich meine damit gar gar nicht die Wirkungen, die ein Pilgerweg in Bezug auf Stille, Kontemplation und Nachsinnen über das eigene Leben in jedem Wanderer entfaltet, selbst wenn er (noch) nicht zu den Glaubenden gehört. The pearls of the earth are often the same, including many of the most famous and most representative Austrian pilgrims. I would like to point out that their number is very large. The first point of the journey is the Stephansdom in Vienna, which is always again being presented as an Austrian National Heritage site. The Pilger or the Pilgerin will also visit a large number of the most beautiful Austrian cities, such as Göttweig and Herzogenburg in Lower Austria, St. Florian and Lambach in Upper Austria or Fiecht and Stams in Tyrol. These Klöster and other historic houses also provide Pilgern Pilgerzimmer with their Pilgerzimmer rooms. You will always be able to reach the most beautiful mountain huts, here again - just for example - Maria Taferl in Niederösterreich, Maria Plain in Salzburg or the Georgenberg in Tyrol.
In addition, many communities are looking for the most beautiful beaches along the way. As an example, I would like to mention the route from Gnadenwald to Hall in Tyrol with its many beautiful mountains and sinkholes. Einer davon sei hier angeführt, weil er ermutigen könnte, sich auf den Jakobsweg zu begeben: "Glücklich die hungern und dürsten nach einem sinnerfüllten Leben, ihr Hunger und Durst wird gestillt werden. Wenn Sie immer das tun, was sie immer schon getan haben, werden sie immer das bekommen, was Sie immer schon bekommen haben" (Paul Watzlawick). Soweit zu den spirituellen Aspekten, die keinen Wanderer auf diesem Jakobsweg völlig unberührt lassen werden.
However, the description of the Austrian Jakobswegs would be more or less unacceptable if I did not know about the beauty of the landscapes in the mountains: Es beginnt bei den Donauauen bei Hainburg, führt durch die Kaiserstadt Wien über den Wienerwald und inmitten des Weltkulturerbes Wachau der Donau aufwärts nach Linz. After reaching the outskirts of the beautiful Upper Austrian Hügelland, you reach one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Salzburg. After a visit to the Bay of Bavaria's Rupertiwinkels, you will find yourself in the middle of the unique landscape of the Wilden Kaisers in the inner city. At the right, at the left and at the right, above the relevant Talsohle, the Pilger and the Pilgerin flussaufwärts. Nahezu in the background trifft er oder sie auf beschauliche Kapellen, prachtvolle Kirchen, Burgen und Schlösser sowie sehenswerte Dörfer und Städte. Das sogenannte "Heilige Land Tirol" wird seinem Ruf gerecht seinem Ruf, weil so viele Wallfahrtsorte durchwandert werden, die den Pilgernden ihre eindrucksvolle Geschichte erzählen erzählen. High above the Pilgerweg are the high Tyrolean forests. When the Inn reaches its starting point in the direction of Switzerland, it is necessary to cross the Arlberg to reach the only named pass of the Austrian Jakobswegs, so that you do not have to travel on public roads for this stage. The Pilgerweg continues through the beautiful Voralpenlandschaft Vorarlbergs, and in Feldkirch you will cross the border to Liechtenstein or Switzerland.
Ich bin den österreichischen Jakobsweg von Ost nach West zu verschiedenen Zeiten gegangen. I am piloting through Germany in the hit of the autumn. The Inntal lasted two months, the first time in March on my way from Salzburg to Santiago de Compostella over three months. Der Arlberg war zu dieser Zeit noch tief verschneit und von Lawinengefahr bedroht. With the help of tour operators, who I had to stop there at a different destination, I was able to overlook this pass well. The second time I wandered in Tyrol in May and was fascinated by the beauty of the landscape and the scenery. After all, while still on the mountains, the flowers in the sun shine in the sunshine, the blues and mushrooms in their original practice in the valley. From my first Jakobsweg - right after my retirement - I also know the Via Jacobi in Switzerland, the Via Gebennensis and the Via Podiensis in France, the Camino Norte and the Camino Primitivo in Spain. For about two years I have known the Camino Frances in Spain. My experiences and impressions from my Jakobswegen have been kept in the woods. In view of the different Jakobswege, I must admit that the Austrian Jakobsweg does not always return to its original beauty and attractiveness.
Anyone who is once on the Jakobsweg has - even after taking into account the different strains and conditions of the landscape - so much experience of the landscape and spiritual depth that the feeling of being back on the path remains in the heart of the landscape. Geweckt wird diese Sehnsucht vor allem immer dann, wenn man in seiner unmittelbaren Heimat, wie bei bei mir in Salzburg - auf einen Wegweiser oder ein Hinweisschild zum Jakobsweg trifft. Dabei wird einem bewusst, dass es, von diesem Ort ausgehend, einen gut beschilderten Weg gibt, der über tausende Kilometer unmittelbar zum Grab des Hl. Jakobus in Santiago de Compostella führt. Ultreia!
