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ItalianoUpdated 13.07.2021
Shrouded in legend, the scenically breathtaking mountain gorge connects Tyrol with Bavaria's Chiemgau Alpine foothills. The former scene of countless smuggler stories has now been turned into an alpine adventure hiking trail for the whole family.
Since time immemorial, the Klobenstein Gorge has been regarded as a mysterious hidden gateway to the Alps, a path through the canyon as a smuggler's trail around which countless fantastic stories entwine. Already in the early Bronze Age (1,800 BC), this was an important trade route for copper and bronze, in the Middle Ages for the transport of wine and salt, and after the Second World War, cigarettes, coffee, rum and even cheese wheels were smuggled over the smuggler's path.
In a joint Austrian-Bavarian Interreg project of the Kaiserwinkl Tourism Association, the municipality of Kössen and the Bavarian mountaineering village of Schleching, this cross-border gorge was made hikeable and experienceable for the whole family in a very mindful way. As early as 2015, the municipalities of Kössen and Schleching, with the participation of the tourism associations and the population, made an effort to open up the cultural and natural heritage of Klobenstein in a natural way and to make it known beyond the region. A preliminary study and two Interreg projects were implemented. The revitalisation and connection of the path network, bridges, platforms and rest areas are the highlights. It is precisely with the establishment of these fixed points that visitors are to be guided and discouraged from damaging the sensitive flora and fauna.
In addition, the 8 km long themed hiking trail offers the possibility to experience a smuggler's adventure at special stations in connection with a mobile phone app and to learn about nature and the mountain world in an entertaining way. The trail runs along the old route of a so-called Samerweg from Kössen to Schleching/Bavaria. Particularly entertaining: both families and adults can collect points along the way and earn smuggler badges in a fun way.
A unique world, characterised by rushing turquoise water, bizarre rock faces, wildly romantic forests and brightly shining gravel banks. You can dive into this natural jewel via spectacular rock walkways, panorama pulpits and a 33m long, spectacular suspension bridge open up unexpected vistas full of theatrical alpine beauty. Access points with rest areas close to the river make it easier for hikers to experience the Tiroler Ache. As the mystical destination of the trail, the pilgrimage site of Klobenstein with its split rock radiates mysterious power. The starting point of the hike is the centre of Kössen in the Kaiserwinkl or the hikers' car park of the Geigelstein chairlift Ettenhausen.