The blue-green Habicher See, trails through the forest and the Grassmayr family’s bell-casting history offer several ways to shape a stay in Habichen. You can focus on a small natural attraction, a trail with chapel stops or historical details about bell casting. For choosing a route, the course of each option and its suitability for pushchairs are especially practical points of reference.

Habicher See and the trails leading to it

The small, blue-green Habicher See lies at the edge of the forest near Habichen. It is a pond, about 25 metres wide and 50 metres long. This makes it roughly twice as long as it is wide; these measurements give the small body of water a clearly imaginable shape. The lake is a well-defined natural attraction at the edge of the forest.

The “9 Treasures” hike to Habicher See leads through the forest towards Habichen and branches off to the lake. St. Anthony’s Chapel is on this route before the turn-off. An alternative route through the Lindenwald forest to Habichen also leads to the lake and is suitable for pushchairs; trail conditions may vary. If you are travelling with a pushchair, this alternative is a good option. Check trail conditions before setting off.

On the way back, the route passes Burgstall Chapel. There is a small viewing balcony with seating by the chapel. This makes Burgstall Chapel not just a stop along the way, but also a place to sit. The two chapels mark different sections of the route: St. Anthony’s Chapel is before the turn-off to the lake, while Burgstall Chapel is on the way back. This order helps you distinguish the stops along the outward and return journeys when navigating the route, and locate the viewing balcony on the way back.

The ice cellar and the history of bell casting

The ice cellar combines a physical feature with its historical use. Currents inside the rock keep the temperature constant at 0 to 2 °C. It was used as a natural refrigerator until the 1960s. The temperature makes the unusual interior of the rock tangible, while its former use shows the ice cellar’s practical role in the past.

The Grassmayr family bell foundry house lies on the route to Habicher See. Its façades are decorated with frescoes. Frescoes are wall paintings and give the façades a distinctive architectural feature. The Graßmayr House in Habichen is officially protected as a historic monument.

The family history can be traced back to a specific event: in 1599, Bartlme Grassmayr cast the first bell at his family’s bell foundry in Habichen. This laid the foundation for the family business. Bell casting, the houses and the ice cellar offer different historical and architectural perspectives on the themes of this stay.

For the broader travel overview: Oetz.