Kalvarienberg Unterranna

A particularly contemplative destination in Lower Austria is the centuries-old Calvary in Unterranna in the Wachau, which has been restored with much love, time and effort.

The Pauline monastery was founded in Unterranna in Mühldorf back in 1414. The Unterranna Calvary was built between 1675 and 1680. Emperor Joseph II dissolved the monastery in 1783 and the monastery buildings and church were demolished by 1830. However, the Johannes Nepomuk chapel with its statue of the saint and the ruins of the church were preserved.

A later, large-scale renewal phase of the magnificent Stations of the Cross lasted from 1985 to 1993: under expert guidance, the Mühldorf Tourist Association managed to restore the entire historical site of the Calvary. The local population also actively helped with the revitalization. The newly developed site was solemnly consecrated by the Abbot of Göttweig Abbey in 1993.

Today, the beautiful Way of the Cross starts at a wayside shrine to St. John Nepomuk in Unterranna - and leads steeply uphill from here. The path is flanked to the left and right by the wayside shrines of the Stations of the Cross. After these nine chapels comes the impressively beautiful Chapel of the Crucifixion. Under its dome, it houses an altar with a crucifix and two more station pictures. From here, the path leads back down the mountain and ends at the Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. This was only discovered during the construction work. Together with the Chapel of the Crucifixion, it is one of the showpieces of the spiritual path.

Extra tip: Nearby - idyllically situated on the edge of the Jauerling Nature Park - pilgrims and those interested can also pay a visit to the famous late Gothic pilgrimage church of St. Andrew in Heiligenblut.