Mur River - Friesach barrage
Address
Friesach power station
GPS
47.186241821838, 15.337316393852
Level of difficulty 3 | Gastronomy 1 | Length 4.4 km | Time 50 - 70 minutes
Just a few minutes drive north of the Styrian capital you can enjoy the Mur River in its natural state and get a little workout while paddling upstream. The mixture of natural landscape and adjacent expressway offers paddlers unusual impressions.
General information
Navigation rules
Be considerate of birds and plants in the floodplains and only go ashore at obvious and easily accessible spots along the banks.
Dangers and risks
Don't paddle too close to the Friesach power plant! It is best not to paddle any closer than the starting point. From here it's only about 70 m to the weir anyway.
Depending on the water level, the current can be noticeable from the start, but it can be overcome. After paddling under the Brucker Schnellstrasse expressway, which is located above the first left turn of the Mur River, the flow rate increases continuously, and you have to paddle close to the bank.
Sufficient distance to the pillars should be kept under the bridges (especially on the return trip in the direction of flow).
Directions
Coming from Graz, take the A 9 Pyhrn Autobahn highway from Graz/Webling (in the south of the city) and go in the direction of Salzburg. After 20 km, take the exit on the node Deutschfeistritz/Peggau on the right and take a left lane at the crossroads. After about 500 m turn left into the parking lot in front of the power plant Friesach. There is usually enough parking space available.
If you come from Leoben, take the S 6 expressway to St. Michael and then take the A 9 Pyhrn Autobahn highway in the direction of Graz (to the south). After about 30 km, exit at the Deutschfeistritz/Peggau junction and turn left at the crossroads. After about 1000 m turn left into the parking lot in front of the power plant Friesach. There is usually enough parking space available.
Unfortunately, the power plant is very difficult to reach by public transport, as the last few kilometers would have to be completed along a busy road without a sidewalk.
Parking
There is a public and free car park directly in front of the Friesach power plant (stay in front of the barriers!). It also offers ample space to prepare the equipment.
Swimming
Swimming is neither permitted nor possible in this section of the Mur River. However, there are various bathing opportunities in the surrounding area.
Lake Tibersee
Public Bath Weihermühle
Public Bath Frohnleiten
Public Bath Semriach
Worth seeing
The ruins of the former Peggau Castle probably date from the 12th century and can also be seen briefly from the water. This fortress, built as a so-called spur castle, sits on an almost vertical rock head and is owned by the Abbey of Vorau. You can hike up to the ruins, but they are closed to the public.
Also, the Stübing Castle probably originated in the 12th century as a fortification and became more and more opulent in the course of its history. In the meantime, it was even used by the SOS Children's Village, which had it renovated for administrative and residential purposes. Unfortunately, much of the facility's former glory was buried that way. Today it is privately owned.
The Lurgrotte grotto in Peggau is the largest water-bearing stalactite cave in Austria and offers tours all year round (also for schools). In winter there are up to six-hour adventure tours, which should be reserved relatively early (in summer). On top of that, the Prehistoric Museum Peggau should not be omitted when visiting the grotto.
Extra Tips
The barefoot trail in Rein leads over a distance of 600 m and is a real treat for feet that are forced into shoes every day. This natural reflexology not only uplifts the spirits, but also helps with your grounding while eliminating electromagnetic radiation.
The Open-air museum in Stübing is one of the largest open-air museums in Europe and was awarded the museum seal of quality in 2002 by the ICOM which are part of the UNCESCO. It gives its visitors an unadulterated insight into the original living environment of the Austrian rural population. In addition to guided tours, there are also a number of festivals and events in the area , every year.
Since 1990 the former Scythe Factory Deutschfeistritz, which once produced up to 60,000 scythes annually, is a museum and is maintained by the cultural association Sensenwerk Deutschfeistritz. From 1849 to 1984 water-powered hammers were used for production. Today you can visit from April to October and also take part in guided tours.
The farmers markets of the region are an ideal starting point for culinary discoveries in the area north of Graz.
Tour
From the Friesach power station upstream to Deutschfeistritz and back.
Length
4.4 km
Time
50 - 70 minutes
Start and landing
Along the shore path north of the power plant (go to the right from the car park).
Overnight Stay
Promschhof
Taschenstrasse 22, 8102 Semriach
Phone +43 (0)3127 888 64
Gasthof – Restaurant Bernthaler
Königgraben 22, 8121 Deutschfeistritz
Phone +43 (0)3127 41261
Apartment with park view
Kirchweg 15, 8101 Gratkorn
Gastronomy
Gasthof – Restaurant Bernthaler
Königgraben 22, 8121 Deutschfeistritz
Phone +43 (0)3127 41261
Timeout Cafe - Bistro
Ferdinandgasse 4, 8121 Deutschfeistritz
Phone +43 (0)3127 42144
Gasthaus Sandwirt beim Kesserfall
Kesselfallstrasse 13, 8102 Semriach
Phone +43 (0)3127 8226
Between floodplains and expressway
The barrage on the River Mur at the Friesach power station is ideal for a short, but lovely paddle tour just a few minutes' drive north of the Styrian capital. If you have a few hours to spare, you can escape the city and paddle bravely upstream here, only to be swept back downstream by the current all the more enjoyably afterwards.
Since the banks of the Mur are a local recreation area for the surrounding communities (Peggau, Deutschfeistritz) the parking lot in front of the power plant, which was built in the mid-1990s, offers enough parking space and a spacious area with enough space to inflate your SUP.
To get started, walk right up to the shore path, where a clear spot to the water reveals itself. There is enough space to put the boards into the water one by one and then start paddling to the right and up north. Once you have moved a few meters from the bank, you may suddenly hear hissing noises under the board, as if the air were escaping from it.
After an initial shock and a thorough check of our boards back on land, we come to the conclusion that it must be an underground pipe that is probably leaking air in this area. Fortunately, no (visible) air bubbles escape from our SUPs and we confidently set off on our tour.
Here we are in the middle of a floodplain landscape, but we can clearly hear the expressway passing by, which is clearly visible in many places. This results in an interesting mix of natural areas, noise barriers and expressways. Nevertheless, the trip here is worth it, especially since there are a number of little hidden tributaries and cute streams that flow into the river. In front of us lie the Peggau ruins, which have been enthroned on their hill for a good 1000 years and are now privately owned.
Depending on the water level, the current can be quite strong right from the start and make it necessary to paddle along the bank. For this reason, it is always advisable to check the weather conditions several days in advance, especially with regard to precipitation in the upper reaches of the river. The Friesach barrage cannot really be called a reservoir, as the water never really stands still up to the weir.
On the way north we observe small families of ducks and keep surprising walkers who seem to rarely or never see paddlers in this area. We are approaching the first bend in the river to the left, over which the S 35 expressway leads. From here you can see that the current is slowly picking up, and we paddle upright under the low bridge. Here at the latest, paddlers will slowly but surely paddle along the shore voluntarily if they don't want to keep standing on the spot under great paddle effort.
In front of us on the left is a narrow island that forms an even narrower branch of the Mur. It should not be touched for nature conservation reasons. Today this is not easily possible anyway, as a number of tree branches protrude into and over the water from both sides. So please take the main stream here too, however tempting it may be, and paddle on towards Deutschfeistritz! If you have made it this far, you will already see three bridges ahead of you after the side arm: the first two are railroad bridges, the last one is crossed by cars (Übelbacherstrasse). The third bridge will also be our turning point.
Stroking force as well as paddling frequency increase again and we get to the picturesque little stream called Übelbach, which flows into the Mur over small rock steps from the left in front of the second bridge. In the eddy we take advantage of the hour and take a strong sip of water after almost 40 minutes of paddling.
Then we sharply paddle out of the eddy and let the river turn us in a southerly direction. Here we let ourselves drift comfortably and enjoy the fruits of our hard paddling work. With the momentum of the current we cover the 2.2 km to the weir in no time at all. The branch with the island is quickly left behind, at the underpass of the S 35 we always keep an eye on the concrete pillars and stay close to the shore. Then we paddle the last few meters in the calming water back to the parking lot.
If you come from further away, you can unpack your snack after landing and enjoy it at the wooden table next to the parking lot. Or you can stop off in a rustic inn in the vicinity - for example at the Sandwirt Inn in Semriach.
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