Level of difficulty 3 paddles |  Gastronomy 1 pitcher |  Length 9 km |  Time 2 – 2.5 hours

---

The dreamy Hirzmann Reservoir is hidden in the middle of the West Styrian mountains and guarantees us a first-class nature experience.

• Styria tourist information
• Styria Card
• Hirzmann Reservoir Wikipedia
• Municipality Edelschrott
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

Bathers always have priority. There can be a lot of paddling traffic on sunny days - please paddle on sight.

Dangers and risks

The water access to the right (east) of the road bridge (seen from the parking lot) is significantly steeper and more impassable than the one to the left. It is therefore better to get on the water under the Ströhberne Bridge, so start paddling from there.

At times there can be a lot of driftwood in the stagnant water of the reservoir. This isn't a big deal, but it should be avoided so that nothing can get caught on the board. There can be small accumulations of driftwood in the water, especially from the tour start to the left towards the west.

In addition, the reservoir only carries water from the middle/end of May til fall or winter.

Directions

It does not matter if you come from Graz or the state of Carinthia - the fastest way is to take the A2 motorway to exit 224 in Modriach. From here first go to the reservoir called Pack Reservoir and follow the road past the dam wall (Herzogberg-Stausee) for about 3.5 km. At the crossroads, follow the signs to the village Edelschrott. In Edelschrott, after the municipal office, turn right along the Seestrasse for about 2 km down to the reservoir (signposted).

Getting to the reservoir by public transport is hardly worth it, as you only get to the village Edelschrott and from there you have to walk about 2.2 km with your equipment.

Parking

Driving down to the reservoir from the village of Edelschrott, a small road bridge leads to the south side of the narrow reservoir. At its end there is a free parking lot from which you can get directly to the water.  

Swimming

Of course, the water up here is a bit cooler than in the classic bathing lakes on the plain. This is precisely why the reservoir can score as a bathing destination on hot summer days. At the bridge there is a free and publicly accessible jetty. The hiking trail along the shore of the reservoir offers further opportunities to cool off in a quiet bay.

Worth seeing

The Ströhberne Bridge, which was built in 1816, is now monument protected and is still roadworthy and passable. The bridge is located near the western end of the reservoir.

The 60 m high dam was completed in 1950 and is accessible all year round. The view from up there is not only recommended for amateur photographers- You can also get off your SUP board to stroll across the dam.

In the midst of the so-called Lipizzaner homeland you should also visit the Lipizzaner Stud Piber. Visitors can enjoy cattle drive, stud tours and foal experience days. Selected animals come from here to be trained at the world famous Spanish Riding School in Vienna. 

The Bärnbach parish church, which is under monument protection, is located in the municipality of Bärnbach. The Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser remodeled the church in 1987/1988, bringing about its pseudonym Hundertwasser Church.

Extra Tips

The west styrian Way of St. James opened in 2010 and stretches over eight stages from Thal/Graz to Lavamünd in Carinthia. It also leads past the reservoir.

The 42 km long Teigitsch is a tributary of the better-known river Kainach in the district of Voitsberg. It feeds the Hirzmann and Langmann reservoirs and leads through a great hiking area. Especially the Teigischklamm Gorge is worth a trip.

The 3-reservoir-experience is a day's hike that connects the three reservoirs in the region and demands a lot of endurance over its 27.7 km and almost 970 meters in altitude.

SUP rental

Canoe & SUP rental Hirzmannsperre
Seestrasse 137, 8583 Edelschrott
At the Buffet Seeblick
Phone +43 (0)650 6520111

Tour

First, turn left to the western tributary of the reservoir. From there along the north bank to the dam in the east and on the south bank back to the parking lot.

Length

9 km

Time

2 – 2.5 hours

Start and landing

At the water access under the Ströhberne Bridge.

Overnight Stay

Ferienhaus im Wald
Mittlerer Kreuzberg 716, 8583 Edelschrott
Phone +43 (0)676 7504568

Well Ranch
196 Unterer Herzogberg, 8583 Edelschrott
Phone +43 (0)664 5326097

Gregor’s Ferienhaus im Wald
In der Auen 518, 8583 Edelschrott
Phone +43 (0)664 3962250

Gastronomy

Buffet Seeblick
Seestrasse 137a, 8583 Edelschrott
Phone +43 (0)664 4659936

Hotel-Gasthof Hammerer
Waeldelstrasse 10, Hirschegg
Phone +43 (0)5517 53240

Forgetting everyday life in Styrian Canada

The Hirzmann Reservoir is, so to speak, the big brother of the much better known Pack Reservoir, which is about 15 minutes away by car. The Hirzmann dam was built between 1947 and 1950 and is almost 60 m high. The reservoir is the third largest in Styria and one of three closely located reservoirs in the so-called Lipizzaner Home.

Although the reservoir is quite hidden in a depression below the village of Edelschrott, it is well frequented in summer and offers locals in particular a great opportunity to relax or do water sports in the refreshing mountain water. For foreigners it is still an insider tip, especially since the nearby Packer reservoir is much better known. But beware! Before the end of May, the reservoir is dry and all you can see is a desolate depression.

We start the tour under the historic Ströhberne Bridge, which makes a special photo opportunity with its straw or reed-covered roof. First we turn left towards the west and we paddle along the private property on the bank and marvel at the hundreds of fish that hiss back and forth under our boards at lightning speed.

We can also tell that we are in the middle of almost untouched nature by the fact that there is rippling water between the water plants everywhere on the banks. Since we don't go any closer out of respect for the animals, we can only assume that they are small pond frogs or fish. The water is absolutely still, stagnant, so to speak, and the mosquitoes accompany us every meter. As long as you stay dry, they don't bother you, because their territory is the water where they lay their eggs. So it's important not to fall into the water so as not to be besieged by them.

We move past a lush green meadow, over which the circular hiking trail around the reservoir leads and we paddle into an extensive, narrow right-hand bend. The driftwood lying in the water increases here and we skilfully navigate past it until we end up queuing. In front of us there is a wooden carpet, about 25 m long and in the middle of the water, which we cannot cross. On the one hand a bit of a shame, on the other hand a great indication that we have really arrived in untouched nature. The reservoir and the driftwood don't care if we want to continue paddling. We have to stick to the natural occurrences and also accept them.

If the passage here is free, you can paddle on for a few meters before the water inlet at the northern end of the reservoir becomes a trickle and the fins make contact with the ground. That's why we turn around and paddle back along the north bank, because the longer part of this 5 km long reservoir extends to the southeast, which digs its way through the Lipizzaner Home from the northwest like a snake

Since the waterway is only between 40 and 120 meters wide in most places, it makes little difference whether you paddle in the middle or near the bank, because you always have everything in view anyway. We pass the road bridge and the public bathing jetty again and are pleased that there are no motorized watercraft on this lake. Everything is analogue and using your own muscle power is a must. That's part of the atmosphere of this area, because it's never loud and apart from the occasional sports plane above us, we only hear the crickets and birds around us.

All along the north shore we find cute weekend cottages and small private lots with water access. The countless curves keep revealing new insights and the small, rocky but wooded peninsulas remind us of Canadian forests, which we unfortunately only know from photos so far. The further you paddle towards the dam, the quieter and lonelier it seems to be. Paddlers hardly come here with their canoes and the few rental pedal boats just as little. The singing of the birds is now followed by the ringing of cowbells not far away. Somewhere behind the south bank near the dam wall there must be a pasture, which is also quickly clear to us from the typical smell of pasture.

Just before the dam we turn back, leaving the hikers behind us, who can access the dam all year round, and begin our return journey along the south bank. Imposing rocks are striking here, which rise steeply up to 15 m high and into the lake. We consider whether it would be possible to jump down from above. The depth of the water – we can see this from the clear water – would probably allow for this.

As we paddle more in the middle our boards get pushed to the right towards the other bank, forcing us to always paddle to starboard. So there is a light current after all and the light breeze from the west is now slowing us down a bit. So we prefer to stay close to the shore and save our strength on the last one and a half kilometers.
After a leisurely two hours we are back at the bridges at midday and see how the parking lot and the bathing lawn across the way are slowly filling up. After a well-deserved external cooling (aka swimming), we hit the Buffet Seeblick for some internal cooling in the form of a few well deserved cold drinks.