Murradweg - from the mountains to the wine discover Styria

Bad Radkersburg

We start our journey in Wolfsberg. From there we follow the Lavantradweg R10. Between Frantschach St. Gertraud and Wiesenau the bike path is interrupted for about 10 km. There the path runs on the main road. Arrived in Bad St. Leonhard, the castle ruins Gomarn on the Schlossberg and the Gothic Leonhardikirche with its magnificent stained glass windows invite you to interrupt the tour. We continue in the direction of Reichenfels. After leaving Reichenfels behind us, we cycle along the Lavantradweg R10 for a good while until we reach the border between Styria and Carinthia. There the Lavantradweg R10 ends and the Zirbenlandradweg R26 begins, this is 20.5 km long and ends in Fisching. From there we take the Murradweg R2 in the direction of Judenburg. Once there, we take a short breather at the main square.

We continue in the direction of Leoben. We ride away from the main square, via Weyergasse and a left loop via Purbachgasse to Mühlweg along the Mur. On a bike and foot path we enter the Murwald, where we now finally leave the town of Judenburg. We stay close to "our Mur", which has become a faithful friend and companion to us, and through a wonderful floodplain forest, which refreshes us especially in summer, we reach the small village of Fisching with its beautifully situated camping site. And those who cycle so much and experience so many impressions need refreshment. Especially Fisching and Weißkirchen offer to rest and stretch the legs. It for us further on the cycle path to Zeltweg, a beautiful small town. But if we stay on the main route, then we go via Zeltweg to Knittelfeld. We follow the main route to Knittelfeld. From Knittelfeld the Murradweg leads us straight on via St. Lorenzen bei Knittelfeld to St. Stefan ob Leoben. Here we keep to the left at the church and cycle along the road over the Mur to reach St. Michael near the highway above. We leave St. Michael by passing under the highway and changing to the right bank of the Mur. Through the forest we ride comfortably parallel to the highway in a slight up and down via Schladnitzdorf to Leoben, where we are greeted by the Göss brewery in the Göss district. After the huge brewery plant, the main road branches off to the left to the center. We cross the Mur once again on the cycle path that accompanies the road and immediately turn right. On the Mareckkai we go along the Mur into the beautiful historical center of Leoben. To do this, we still cross the Waasenbrücke and ride through the Schwammerlturm, the landmark of Leoben, to the main square with its countless pubs and restaurants as well as the shopping center, which is embedded in a former Dominican monastery.

After a short or longer break in Leoben we continue towards Bruck an der Mur. From the beautiful main square in Leoben, we first cycle over the Murbrücke/Winkelfeldbrücke to reach the Salzlände, where we briefly turn right and then immediately left again to turn onto the Pebalstraße. On the well-marked cycle path we now leave the second largest city in Styria to get to Niklasdorf. A few hundred meters after the Hotel Brücklwirt we turn left to cross the Mur and after a slight incline we cycle through a cooling forest towards Oberaich with its bicycle village at the Gasthof Pichler.

Further on, the tour now leads us straight to Bruck an der Mur with its Schloßberg, which is also often called the "little brother" of Graz's Schloßberg. We should take our time for the old town center of the old trading city of Bruck an der Mur, because the enchanting city with its impressive main square, by the way the second largest in Austria, and the wonderfully preserved old houses with a fascinating building fabric has a lot to show.

 

Now we are ready for the next stage to Graz. From the old town we now head towards the train station, where we turn off onto Pischker Street, which takes us out of the city. Now we take a leisurely walk through the increasingly narrow valley of the Mur River along the river towards Pernegg. Arriving in Pernegg with its beautiful Marienkirche, we continue via the train station to Mixnitz and on to Frohnleiten. Whatever you decide, we are back at our Murradweg, which now takes us via the bathing lake Röthelstein - suitable place to cool your feet - always along the Mur to Frohnleiten. It is now about 35 km to Graz. But now pay attention: Until Graz, the Murradweg is now divided in two. So it is signposted on both sides of the Mur. Along the left bank, we ride mostly on a bike path that runs along the main road.

We leave the main square to the south, where a "right-left combination" soon awaits us. We follow the asphalt path near the Mura River, which leads us past the Murhof golf course and through meadows, small forests and to farmsteads. Staying on the right bank of the Mur, the bike path branches off to the right before the Mur bridge and leads us to Deutschfeistritz and the Stübing open-air museum.

Via Gratwein we now reach Graz. At the entrance to the city of Graz, the signs change: from now on, white signs with the green inscription R2 accompany us until the end of the city of Graz (R2 is the abbreviation for the Murradweg, as it is along the entire route). Along the Mur on narrow paths and only rarely near streets or intersections we arrive after a few minutes in the old town center of Graz: Welcome to the provincial capital, which can call itself UNESCO World Heritage Site and UNESCO City of Design.

 

Now we leave the capital of Styria and make our way to southern Styria. The clock tower looks after us as we leave Graz. We follow the Mur cycle path along the left bank of the Mur - only at Schönaugürtel do we cross the Mur and switch to the right bank of the Mur. We now continue in a southerly direction. At the following railroad bridge we can, by the way, choose which side of the river we want to ride on until Kalsdorf, whereby the right bank of the Mur is chosen throughout. On the right bank to Kalsdorf, our preferred variant, we cycle now always towards the south past the airport Graz-Thalerhof with the Schwarzl leisure center behind it - a place of many festivals, with an amusement park, a camping site, place for peace seekers and with a lot of gastronomy. On the main route we now take the way further to Wildon. First through a beautiful floodplain forest, gentle fields and meadows soon surround us in open, free countryside. Soon we are greeted by Kalsdorf, where the left bank of the Mur River, which leads via Fernitz, also joins.

Via Werndorf we reach Wildon. Our route continues between the railroad and the Mur River to Lebring an der Mur with the beautiful Murstätten Castle. From Lebring, the cycle path again runs close to the Mur. Soon we reach Gralla, where we turn right, pass the A9 Phyrnautobahn and cycle to Leibnitz, our stage town. After about 5 km the center of Leibnitz with the beautiful main square is in front of us.

 

To begin our last stage on the Murradweg in Austria, we first return to the Murradweg. To do this, we circle the city of Leibnitz to the south along the Roman Cycle Path, which brings us back to the Mur at the Flavia Solva Roman Museum. Here we also change to the left bank of the Mur. Soon we reach an enchanting floodplain landscape, which we appreciate especially in spring with its blossoms and in summer as a source of shade. At Ehrenhausen with its Genussregal on the opposite side of the Mura and easily accessible via a bridge, we leave the forest again at said Mura bridge. Our path continues from Ehrenhausen along the banks of the Mur. There are no orientation difficulties, the path is particularly good to ride, because we cycle through quiet, secluded landscapes. A green alluvial forest accompanies and enchants us. Soon we arrive again at a castle. This time it is Spielfeld Castle, which rises majestically from the floodplain forest. The building, which suffered severe damage in the turmoil of the Second World War, has been brought back to life by an initiative since 1987.

The further way leads us through the UNESCO biosphere park "unteres Murtal" to Mureck. On the way to Mureck we pass a special feature: near Weitersfeld one of the last rolling ferries in Austria brings guests to Slovenia or from Slovenia to Austria. The rolling ferry is especially popular with cyclists vacationing in the Bad Radkersburg bike region, because a bike path leads to Bad Radkersburg on both sides of the Mura River. But be careful: you must not forget your passport on this tour!

Arriving in Mureck we notice something: Mureck, like Wildon, which we remember fondly, is a real street village. Unlike in a market, the houses are built with their long sides facing the street, and not with their gables. And in Mureck, the next absolute must awaits us: a visit and a stop at the Mureck Ship Mill. Easy to find, it has been delighting all Murradweg cyclists for many, many years. The signposting to the Schiffsmühle and back to the Murradweg is excellent. From Mureck, the Murradweg is also signposted as the "Amazon of Europe Bike Trail".

The bike route starting in Mureck connects five countries (Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia and Hungary) in the UNSECO biosphere park "Mura-Drava-Danube". 1 million hectares of unique natural and cultural landscapes. On more than 1,000 km of cycle paths in nature along both banks of the Mura, Drava and Danube rivers with information points and resting places.

Via Misselsdorf we now pass the climate protection garden and the bumblebee paradise to the Röcksee. The climate protection garden invites visitors to linger in a diverse garden paradise with colorful perennial gardens, rosarium, medicinal, spice and culinary herb garden, shade garden, clay wetland biotope. A jump into the Röcksee refreshes the senses.

Through the idyllic alluvial forest, which sometimes surprises with some curves, we go to the Murturm. At a height of 27 m we enjoy the distant view over the UNESCO Biosphere Park in the Murauen and to Slovenia. After climbing the tower, we "sit up" again and now continue cycling alternately through the floodplain forest and past fields lined with oil pumpkins and corn. In Donnersdorf turn right, to the Mur with the scene of the River`scool with the Mur bike bridge to Slovenia. Back on the bike path, we cycle on to Dietzen with its charming beetle bean cabinet. Do you know the Styrian beetle bean also as a sweet seduction? The lovingly furnished "more-than-just-a-museum" shows with film & photo material the seasonal development of the bean from cultivation, refinement to culinary processing.

If we have time left, here it is worth once again to make a "detour". Namely to Klöch with its vinotheque and the attached wine museum. The small, charming wine village is located at 290 meters above sea level. On a volcanic cone. The ride there is for us on quiet country roads, however, beauty wants to be earned and there is one or two slopes waiting for us. We have two options: One is a route south of the mountain to Klöch, which is the slightly shorter one, but the northern variant has less severe gradients in store for us. Whichever route we choose, it is worth going for a glass of the famous Traminer from the Klöcher Wine Route afterwards.

Those of you who have decided to continue from Dietzen straight to Bad Radkersburg are only a few kilometers short of the historic old town, where our tour ends at the main square. Mediterranean flair and romantic alleys, small stores and cafes invite you. Now we have earned a coffee, an ice cream, whatever. The mineral-rich thermal water of the Parkherme loosens the muscles and gives energy for new bike tours.

Many bike discovery tours start from Bad Radkersburg and inspire us to plan our new cycling vacation after the Murradweg.