Toblach and Lake of Toblach

Culture and nature

• Start: Hotel Alpenblick
• Bus/train: bus Sexten-Innichen- Toblach
• Time of walk: 3h
• Huts: A lot of restaurants on the way
• Map: KOMPASS no 625

An atmospheric view of the Höhlenstein Valley and its Dolomite peaks can be enjoyed from Ratsberg (1,620 m). The hamlet has a winding access road, but you can also reach it on foot, 1 ¼ hours from Dobbiaco. Those who only look at the Dolomites in Dobbiaco miss out on sights worth seeing. On both sides of the open (and draughty) watershed (1,217 m) between the Adriatic (Rienz) and the Black Sea (Drava) there is much to discover. In the centre of the village, dominated by the baroque parish church with its high tower, there are still a few historical buildings such as the Herbstenburg (around 1500). Gustav Mahler spent the summer months between 1908 and 1910 in Dobbiaco, where kings such as Albert of Saxony and Milan I of Serbia once resided in the Grand Hotel (today a cultural centre). The Rotschilds always arrived by luxury car. The lords (and their ladies) must also have enjoyed the beauty of the nearby Dobbiaco Lake, which is surrounded by forest between the steep rocky flanks at the entrance to the Höhlenstein Valley. The start is by car or by bus from the hotel to the centre of Dobbiaco. From the baroque parish church, the centre of the old village of Dobbiaco (1,241 m), you first walk along Gustav-Mahler-Straße westwards to the houses of Gratsch (1,190 m). Here you cross the state road to the wildlife park and the Gustav Mahler parlour with the tiny composer's cottage that Mahler had built for himself so that he could work undisturbed. Now turn left of the Rienz to the hamlet of the same name, and continue over the Saghäuser ( 1,220 m) to the outlet of the only six-metre-deep Dobbiaco Lake (1,251 m). You circle the idyllic body of water clockwise; several information boards provide information on natural history aspects. The way back leads from the Saghäuser to Neutoblach (1,213 m), where the former Grand Hotel gives a good impression of the lifestyle of the haute volee of the 19th century. The cultural centre also houses the visitor centre of the Sesto Dolomites Nature Park.

Elevation profile

Compass map