Döllach: Gold Mining, Building History and Routes

When looking for a hotel in Döllach, the town’s themes can help guide your search. Gold mining history and historic buildings take centre stage, while routes through the cultural landscape and recreational facilities add to the picture. Consider whether you would like to focus your stay on local history, the landscape or a particular leisure interest.

Gold Mining and Industrial History

During the gold mining era, Döllach was the seat of the mining operators and a gold processing centre. The Kohlbarren is Döllach’s zinc smelter, mentioned in historical written sources dating from 1796 to 1834. It is the starting point of a themed trail about historic “Tauern gold”. The zinc smelter is one of Europe’s most significant industrial monuments. Finds from disused mines, including a mine cart and numerous tools, illustrate the history of mining. Döllach’s old gold smelter has been revitalised and now houses an event hall.

The mining theme brings several roles together: Döllach was the seat of the mining operators and a processing centre, the Kohlbarren was a zinc smelter, and the finds bring underground work to life.

Historic Buildings and the Life of the Carters

Putzenhof, the residence of the mining operators, was built by Melchior Putz von Kirchheimegg between about 1540 and 1560. The Putzenschlössl, around 500 years old and also known as Bräuhaus or Köberschlössl, has retained its original structure to this day. Old horse stables, the tack room with its carters’ quarters, and a smithy in the Putzenschlössl offer a glimpse into the life of medieval carters. They mainly transported wine and salt between Gemona and Salzburg across the Tauern ridge. At Putzenhof, the focus is on the patron who commissioned the building and its approximate construction period; at the Putzenschlössl, the preserved structure is linked with the history of the carters.

Church and Regional Routes

The Church of St Andrew is a late Gothic building in the centre of Döllach. Schloss and Schlössl Großkirchheim are first mentioned in a document from 1140/50. This documentary reference dates from a different period than the church’s late Gothic architectural style.

The Apriach Church Trail passes through a well-kept cultural landscape of farmsteads, wayside shrines and meadows towards Döllach, then descends briefly into the town centre. In the municipality of Großkirchheim, 63 percent of the municipal area lies within Hohe Tauern National Park. The 80 km Glocknerradweg R8 cycle route runs from Heiligenblut via Großkirchheim to Möllbrücke. The two routes differ in scale: the church trail leads towards the town centre, while the R8 is a regional cycle route with a length of 80 kilometres and named endpoints.

Recreational Facilities

The natural swimming pool has a bathing area of 1,200 m². The shooting tunnel contains four shooting lanes with electronic shot detection and a shooting distance of up to 300 m. Together, these represent two distinct leisure activities associated with the town: swimming and target shooting.

Discover more destinations: Kleblach Lind, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Sachsenburg, Stall, Pfaffenberg, Lieserbrücke, Flattach, Döbriach

Return to the overview of the wider area: Spittal An Der Drau.