Einsiedelei Hermitage - Gmail Chapel - Lourdes Grotto

Start your hike in the Hinterkaiser district of St. Johann in Tirol at the parking lot near the Rummlerhof.

First you hike over a large pasture area, which now and then allows a view of the village of St. Johann in Tirol. The path leads into the Way of the Cross, designed by artist Horst Pali, up to the Maria Blut hermitage. This hermitage has been inhabited and cared for by hermits for 300 years. Through a wooded area, the trail leads steeply up to the Gmail Chapel on the Niederkaiserkamm. The path repeatedly offers beautiful views of the Kitzbüheler Horn as well as the valley basin from St. Johann to Oberndorf. Arriving at the ridge you catch a glimpse down to Kirchdorf. The Gmail Chapel is a baroque building with rococo stuccoes inside the building. A true place of power!

The descent is via the Lourdes Grotto, just 5 minutes from the Gmail Chapel you will find the statue of St. Mary Mother of God in a rocky outcrop. A St. Johann resident erected this place of thanksgiving because of his recovery after a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
The hike continues down through the forest to a clearing near the road. At the last bend, the trail turns right again into the forest. Passing a paddock you will get back to the hermitage Einsiedelei. From here, take the same path back to the parking lot, where the Gasthof Rummlerhof offers a refreshment stop.