Strassen: Church Art, Tassenbach and the Drau Cycle Path

Strassen offers you a journey encompassing sacred art, naturally designed landscapes and varied cycling experiences. The parish church of St. James the Apostle, the Tassenbach reservoir and the Drau Cycle Path, which runs through the municipal area, each provide a different focus. This allows you to plan your holiday days according to your interests and, when looking for accommodation, consider whether culture, observing nature or shared activities should take centre stage.

Church Art and History in Strassen

The parish church of St. James the Apostle is an important destination for anyone interested in historic architecture and sacred painting. A chapel dedicated to St. James the Elder on the hill where the present parish church stands is documented as early as 1293. The church itself was rebuilt in the Gothic style in 1455. A particular highlight is the fresco cycle painted by Leonhard of Brixen between 1458 and 1460.

Another characteristic building is the filial church of the Holy Trinity. Its present form dates back to a new beginning in 1763, after the former chapel had been demolished down to its foundations. The church is designed as a circular building with eight massive wall pillars and a grand domed cupola. In 1768, the cupola was decorated with frescoes by the Brixen court painter Franz Anton Zeiller. If you would like to include church interiors and regional art history in your holiday days, Strassen offers several distinct themes that can be combined very well.

Tassenbach: Reservoir and Birdlife

The Tassenbach reservoir presents another side of Strassen. The reservoir was designed in harmony with nature, like a small lake with bays and an island. It is an important refuge for rare animal species and, in this part of the region, the only larger base for migratory birds. More than 150 different bird species have already been observed there.

An educational nature trail with information boards provides information about the animals and plants found at the Tassenbach reservoir. This means that a visit can be combined not only with observing the landscape, but also with an informative exploration of the local habitats. For families, such hands-on discoveries can be a welcome change from a day of cycling or a cultural programme, without having to limit your trip to just one type of experience.

Cycle Paths for Different Holiday Days

The Drau Cycle Path runs through the municipal area of Strassen to Lienz and onwards towards Carinthia. It is recommended for both families with children and cycling beginners.

In addition, Strassen has several varied mountain biking routes. This provides different forms of cycling side by side, without requiring you to limit your holiday planning to a single route. When choosing your accommodation, you can therefore weigh up whether the focus should be more on the family-friendly Drau Cycle Path, mountain biking experiences, church art or observing nature at the Tassenbach reservoir.

Getting There and Other Places

Tassenbach has a railway stop within the municipality of Strassen. From Tassenbach, you can return by bus or train in the direction of Arnbach or Sillian. This information may be helpful when planning your trip if you would like to organise excursions and choose your holiday apartment not only according to a single experience, but also based on the available transport connections.

For more travel ideas, you can also find Gsaritzen, Heinfels, Obertilliach, Hopfgarten in Defereggen, Raneburg, Amlach, Matrei in East Tyrol and Virgen.

For the main travel overview: Lienz.