Discover Gummern: Marble, the Drau and the Sculpture Road

Gummern combines industrial history, river landscapes and distinctive routes to create a destination with its own unique character. The village on the Drau is shaped above all by marble and limestone mining. At the same time, cycle paths and pilgrimage routes lead through the surrounding area, while the Krastal Sculpture Road combines art and movement. Those looking for a holiday apartment in Gummern can therefore plan their stay according to their preferred pace of travel: with cultural history, a cycle tour or a section of the Way of St. James.

Marble and limestone shape Gummern

Gummern is home to the OMYA marble, limestone and artificial stone works. The Gummern lime works are located on the northern bank of the Drau and at a narrow point in the valley formed by the eastern foothills of the Bleiberg Ore Mountain and the Wollanigberg. This location explains the striking combination of river landscape and rocky terrain that gives the village its distinctive character.

The Gummern marble quarry was already known to the Romans. Later medieval mining operations covered the Roman quarry near Gummern with quarry waste. Today, the marble quarry is considered the largest and most important marble quarry in Carinthia. White, yellowish to grey crystalline limestone is mined in Gummern. The rock extends from the Tragenwinkler Alm across the Große and Kleine Pleschwand, the Kölbl near Puch and as far as the Wollanigberg.

For travellers interested in culture, the appeal lies in the fact that the natural landscape and its history of use cannot be considered separately. The history of raw materials stretches from Roman times through medieval mining operations to modern industrial processing. The Omya Gummern works is also one of the venues of the Carinthian Summer, which takes place every year in July and August. This gives the village a cultural dimension in addition to its geological and industrial character.

Cycling through landscapes of art and rivers

The Krastal Sculpture Road comprises 15 sculpture sites and is best explored by bicycle. It begins at the Drau Cycle Path in Gummern and leads through the Krastal to the Ossiacher See Cycle Path. For a stay centred on cycling, Gummern therefore offers a clear thematic focus: the route combines art in public spaces with a longer ride through the Krastal.

The Drau Cycle Path also makes the village a notable section of the region's routes. From Töplitsch, it crosses a bridge to Gummern, changing to the other side of the river. Along the cycle route, a marble quarry can be seen after the village of Gummern. It includes large white-and-blue factory buildings where various calcium carbonate products are manufactured. This sequence makes the industrial landscape immediately tangible during the cycle tour, without limiting it to local history alone.

Experience Gummern on foot

Those who prefer hiking can plan a section of the Carinthian Way of St. James. Stage 7 of the Carinthian Way of St. James between Villach and Gummern is approximately 9.7 km long. The Carinthian Way of St. James also crosses a Drau bridge to the west and continues via Töplitsch and Untergraben to Kellerberg. Gummern therefore offers not only a starting point for cycling experiences, but is also connected to a longer pilgrimage route.

The choice of suitable accommodation can therefore be sensibly based on your preferred way of travelling. A holiday apartment in Gummern is suitable for a stay in which you would like to combine the history of marble and limestone with a cycle tour, the Sculpture Road or a section of the Way of St. James. The key question is not a general promise of a holiday, but whether you want to use the village as a starting point for culture, cycling and hiking.

More places for planning your trip

If you would like to visit other places in addition to Gummern, here is a concise selection: St. Egyden, Frießnitz, Weißenstein, Stockenboi, Töplitsch, Riegersdorf, Innere Einöde and Rosegg.

For the higher-level travel overview: Villach.