Gnadenwald

Altitude: 879 m a.s.l.

Gnadenwald is located at the foot of the Bettelwurf Massif and is composed of the church villages St. Martin and St. Michael as well as several hamlets. For a long time, this area was only referred to as "mountain above Terfens", later on as "Wald/e" (forest). Important were above all its four powder mills and the marble quarry. An old lime tree stands in front of the parish church, which was planted on the occasion of the 60th throne anniversary of Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1908.

Part of the municipal area is also the Hinterhorn Mountain Hut at 1,524 m a.s.l., a popular hiking destination which can be reached from the component locality of St. Martin in 1.5 hours. The hut is open during the summer months. You can of course walk on, e.g. in a few minutes to a cross in Russian Orthodox style, or to the Walderalm Mountain hut, which is 20 minutes away. Also a toll-way takes you directly to pasture, which is above all known for the annual Hinterhorn Challenge, a mountain bike race from St. Martin to the Hinterhorn Mountain Hut.

Hang-gliders appreciate the thermal lift in the region: Even the hang-gliding European Championships were staged in Gnadenwald two decades ago. In winter, there are two cross-country ski trails - 10 km and 6.4 km long - and the toboggan runs Runstboden and Hinterhornalm. A particular event in the village is the "Fassdauben", a traditional competition of young farmers at the end of the winter. Instead of skiers, boards of old barrels are used. Simply great!