Röns: Church, Heidenhaus and Pilgrim Routes

Röns can be explored for your travel planning through two clearly distinct focal points: cultural history surrounding the branch church of St. Magnus and Heidenhaus, as well as routes associated with pilgrimage and the fitness trail. If you are looking for a hotel in Röns, this overview can help you tailor your stay to your interests. The church combines historic furnishings with a named pilgrim route; at Heidenhaus, the focus is on its location on a wooded hill and the discovered remains of walls. The Pilgrim Circular Route and the fitness trail, in turn, each have their own specifically described route features.

Church and Local History

A Gothic reliquary glass and a deed of consecration from 1501 are located in a niche in the high altar of the branch church of St. Magnus. These two details bring together different aspects: the reliquary glass is an art-historical feature, while the deed bears a precise historical date. The church is also located on the Austrian Way of St. James from the Arlberg through Switzerland to Einsiedeln. Thus, the pilgrim connection is evident both in the church’s furnishings and in its location on a named route. These two perspectives can be considered together to understand Röns’s cultural heritage.

Heidenhaus is situated on a wooded hill northwest of the town centre, where ancient wall remains were discovered. The castle at Heidenhaus was probably built between the second half of the 13th century and the second half of the 14th century. Alongside the artworks in the branch church, this offers another way to explore cultural history: at Heidenhaus, the wooded setting, the wall remains and the castle’s estimated date of construction shape the picture. The reference to the hill places the site in the landscape, while the presumed construction period sets the historical context. In this way, the local history of Heidenhaus and the artistic features of the high altar remain distinct, yet connected.

Pilgrim Routes and Fitness Trail

The Pilgrim Circular Route begins at the church in Schlins and follows the old Röns church path to Röns. The route also leads from the Old Mill in Düns downhill along the Vermülsbach to Schnifis, then through the Schnifner Ried back to the starting point. The starting point, places and landscape features create a specific sequence: the old church path leads to Röns, the path along the Vermülsbach leads to Schnifis, and the Schnifner Ried lies on the return route. This distinguishes the described circular route from the branch church’s location on the Austrian Way of St. James from the Arlberg through Switzerland to Einsiedeln.

The fitness trail offers another focal point. Its three entrances are called “Inderholz,” “Viola” and “Röns”; each is equipped with benches, instruction boards and fitness trail maps. In March 2021, the fitness trail’s running route was extended towards Röns, and a “Yogawäldle” with six yoga exercises was established. Several different features are therefore specified for the fitness trail: the entrances and their amenities, the running route and the yoga exercises. For your travel planning, this focal point can be readily distinguished from the pilgrim routes: the fitness trail focuses on the running route and exercises, while the Pilgrim Circular Route follows a sequence of places and landscape sections.

Discover More Destinations

Übersaxen, Schnifis, Satteins, Laterns, Dünserberg, Meiningen, Zwischenwasser, Viktorsberg

For the overview of the wider region: Feldkirch.