One of the four routes of Brixen's Hiking Butterfly is the Wappenweg. You should reserve a whole day for this hike. In addition, a day with optimal visibility would be suitable for this trail so that you can enjoy the panorama of the Hohe Salve to the fullest. A visit to the Filzalmsee (lake), on the other hand, is also worthwhile in poorer weather conditions.
Details & Facts
checkDeparture point: Sonnberg
checkDuration on foot: A day's hike
checkDifference in altitude: minimum 100 metres of altitude / maximum 950 m
checkDifficulty: moderately difficult
checkTrail surface: Asphalt and forest roads, hiking path
As early as 3,000 years ago, people walked this path, one of them having lost the axe that today adorns the Brixen Coat of Arms. The round tour is particularly attractive due to the panoramic view from the Hohe Salve, one of the most beautiful panoramic mountains in Tyrol.
You can start your hike about 500 metres west of the village centre on the turnoff to the Sonnberg or alternatively in the initial part of the Brixner Gangl along the turnoff towards Unterguggenhausen on the Sonnbergstraße.
If you want to put in a little more effort enroute to your destination, you can also choose the somewhat steeper path through the Gugg-Graben to the Filzalmsee. To do this, turn off left from Sonnbergstraße after about 500 metres and head towards Untertreichl.
There you turn again, off the road to the left. Along a narrow path cross the ditch and you will reach the old, steep path towards the Hohe Salve on the other side. If you continue along this road, you will come to the Obertreichl organic farm after 15 minutes, where you can admire and study the extensive teaching herb garden.
Regardless of which path you have chosen, you will now arrive at the Filzalmsee. This was created as a reservoir for the artificial snowmaking for the ski slopes and now delights everyone with its charming location and design. Brixen's "recreation area at the highest level" has become a real visitor's attraction for guests and locals alike.
There is much to discover for young and old in the surrounding area. The Filzalmsee is a junction for several circular trails. Continuing towards Söll, the Wappenweg divides into two parts.
Here you can follow either the large or the small Riesenweg (Giant's Trail). In keeping with the theme and the name, visitors to the upper section (large Giant's Trail) will find several familiar things in giant form: on a terrace of trees above the lake you can study the workings of this sensory organ up close through a giant's eye. At the Frankalm a giant hand stretches its fingers out towards us and in a small woodland you can play a giant xylophone.
Now already in the municipal area of Söll, you will follow onto the small giant's trail from the large giant's trail at the turn-off towards the Silleralm. There, at the water trough, you will find a giant cow with transparent intestines, where visitors can gain an insight into the internal structure of these animals. The remainder of the trail back to Filzalmsee leads through varied mountain forests and forest meadows, with streams inviting young visitors to play with water, sand and stones. The small and large giant's trails (up to the junction) together make a circular trail of an easy two hours. If you continue on the large giant's trail, you will reach Hochsöll with its famous "Hexenwasser" (Witch's Water).
If you would now like to go a little higher, you can hike from Hochsöll via a steeper footpath to the summit. You can also reach the summit more comfortably by cable car. On a clear day you have an unforgettable panoramic view from the Hohe Salve, from the Bavarian Alpine foothills to the Salzburg Limestone Alps, Hohe Tauern and Zillertal Alps to the Karwendel. From the summit restaurant's revolving terrace, the mountain panorama passes you by while you enjoy typical Tyrolean specialities. Austria's highest pilgrimage church, the Salvenkirchlein, has long been unable to accommodate the visitors to the mountain masses and so the services, e.g. on St. Anna's Feast Day, are celebrated on an altar in front of the church.
On the way down, the trail passes a spot where, with a bit of luck, you can observe marmots. In high Summer, the lovely vanilla scent of a rare orchid wafts through the air here in the upper area of the Salvenkuppe. The Nigritella, a species of orchid, is strictly protected. When you reach the flatter Alpine meadows on the Kälbersalve, you pass a chapel where the baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan is depicted. According to tradition, the water from the spring at the Jordan Chapel has a soothing effect on the eyes. Soon you will have the Filzalmsee below you again, where you can also do something good for your feet after an extensive hike by walking a few laps in the moor treading pool or on the "leg massage" vibrating plate.
You can complete your hike either with the gondola lift or on foot downhill via the Salvenbergstraße. First you cross the Gugg-Graben on a path and then come to the Salvenbergstraße. From here you have a particularly beautiful view of Brixen, over the upper Brixen valley and of the Kitzbühel mountains. A little further down you will come across one of the most beautiful and also oldest mountain farms. To maintain the exterior of these wooden farmhouses, they are "washed down" (washed by brushing with soap or ash lye). The process not only gives the wood of these houses resistance, but also the incomparable silvery grey-brown colour. At the Unterkaslach farm, you have the option of taking the shortcut through the gorge to the Salvenbergstraße. From here you have a particularly beautiful view of Brixen, over the upper Brixen valley and of the Kitzbühel mountains.
