Spring outing to the Romedikirchl in Thaur
As the weather hasn’t exactly been consistent this spring, we made the most of a lovely Saturday and set off on a trip to Thaur. To be more precise: up to the idyllic Romedikirchl. If you’re travelling by car, you can choose to park either at the Thaurer Alm car park (turn left up the hill from Gasthof Stangl) or at the Wasserstollen in Thaur. From the latter, a short Way of the Cross leads through the woods up to the little church.
An exciting walk to the castle ruins
This time, however, we opted for the other route and set off at a leisurely pace from the Thaurer Alm car park. The short walk is hardly worth mentioning, but if you’re out and about with young children, even such a short walk can turn into an endless adventure :-)
Especially when there are such exciting things to discover there, such as an apiary, cute ponies and, of course, the mysterious ruins of Thaur Castle. Exploring the ancient walls is a real highlight for children!
Thaur Castle was first mentioned in 1232 and was the largest castle in the Inn Valley at that time. In 2003, the present-day castle ruins were restored and subjected to scientific analysis. Since 2001, a range of superb plays have been staged as part of the Thaur Castle Festival, including Goethe’s *Faust* in 2005 and *Die Geierwally* in 2017.
Saint Romedius of Thaur
Below the ruins lie the Romedikirchl and the Romediwirt restaurant. The castle and the little church are closely associated with Saint Romedius. He was born at Thaur Castle as the son of the ‘Count of Thaur’. He was a very devout and God-fearing man and had the chapel built in honour of the Apostle Peter. After the death of his parents, he gave away all his possessions and founded a hermitage in the Non Valley in Trento. Today, the St Romedius Pilgrimage Route leads from Thaur to San Romedio in the Non Valley. You can read the detailed history and legend surrounding St Romedius here.
The Romediikirchl is also one of the new “places of power” in the Hall-Wattens region. We all agreed that you can feel the special magic of the place straight away.
After our exciting “hike”, we stopped off at the Romediwirt, feeling peckish. It reopened a year ago. The architecture is modern and trendy, yet still traditional. The sun terrace offers a wonderful view of the Inn Valley and the mountains opposite. The food was excellent, and we were assured that fresh, seasonal produce from the region and across Austria, as well as sustainability, are top priorities for the Romediwirt’s owners. Whilst we parents were able to enjoy the spring sunshine, our children let off steam in the small playground next door.
Although the ruins, the little church and the square are attractions in their own right, the village has something else quite special to offer: namely, the ‘rundumthaur’ visitor centre on the first floor of the inn, which houses a museum dedicated to the 6,000-year (!) history of settlement in Thaur, as well as an owl exhibition organised by the Karwendel Alpine Park. Our children particularly enjoyed the different species of owls on display – from the eagle owl to the Tengmalm’s owl. For schoolchildren, the historical aspect provides a great complement to their lessons.
As we wanted to make the most of the weather and our children had such a lovely time, we also treated ourselves to a delicious homemade cake and a cup of coffee, and ended up being among the last guests to leave this wonderful place.