Carinthia: A Video Postcard from Millstätter See

In this video I’ll show you Millstätter See, a gorgeous lake in the southern Austria's province of Kärnten, or Carinthia.
So, let’s start with a few facts.
The lake is situated at 588 metres, or 1,929 feet, above the Adriatic Sea.
It is a pleasant lake for swimming, water sports and boating.
There’s an easy hiking trail, the Slow Trail Südufer, which follows the southern shore, and we decided to walk along it from north to south between two ferry stations.
A ferry ride is also a great way to experience the lake.
The Slow Trail Südufer is only a few kilometres long, and it’s easy to do in a leisurely couple of hours.
It’s peaceful and passes several little bays.
From about 1870 onwards Millstatt developed from a sedate village to a fashionable summer resort for the nobility and the wealthy bourgeoisie of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In Millstatt we stayed at the Villa Postillion am See, which is right next to the Millstätter See.
We liked this hotel so much in 2021 that we stayed again in 2022.
The second walk I’ll show you has spectacular views. It’s called the Slow Trail Zwergsee
Zwergsee means dwarf lake.
It’s an easy to-manage, relaxing circular forest hike high above Millstatt and Lake Millstatt.
One unexpected treat here was the collection of model houses in someone’s garden. It’s like a miniature alpine village within a real alpine village and the attention to detail is remarkable.
It’s not far from there to the Waldbühne viewing platform.
This platform has spectacular views of Millstätter See.
After the viewing platform there’s a gentle climb through the forest, past rocky outcrops, to the Zwergsee.
Then there’s another, somewhat steeper climb to another dwarf lake, the Klieberteich. These dwarf lakes are often used as fishing ponds. The public footpath runs right past this privately-owned pond.
After the Klieberteich, the Slow Trail leads the hiker down through the forest and then past fields and then back through Kleindombra village to the starting point.
At the end of our last Zwergsee hike, we looked at the Calvary Chapel situated within the Kalvarienberg churchyard. It’s a baroque building high above Millstatt which was built by the Jesuits around 1700.
The chapel is open to the front - or south - with views over the lake and mountains.
The third walk that I want to share is around Afrizer See, the lower of the two small lakes on this map. It’s to the east of Millstätter See and higher up, and is most easily reached by car.
We walked clockwise around the lake, circling from the northern end in a couple of hours without really hurrying.
The lake lies in the Gegendtal valley in the Nockberg mountains at 752 metres, or 2467 feet, above sea level.
The lake is clean and suitable for bathing and fishing - as Austrian lakes generally are.
The small community at the southern end of the lake, Afriz am See, has camping facilities.
Back in the middle of Millstatt town, we visited Stift Millstatt, or Millstatt Abbey, which is a must-see. It’s a former monastery and now a museum, the Stiftsmuseum.
It was established by Benedictine monks probably about 1070, and ranks among the most important Romanesque buildings in the province of Kärnten. The Benedictines were succeeded by the knightly Order of Saint George in 1469 and then the Society of Jesus - or the Jesuits - in 1598.
The monastery museum is situated within the cloister and presents a summary of the abbey's history and its cultural heritage.
In a climate-controlled room we found two chests from different centuries. This intricately carved wedding chest dates from 1475 and next to it is the even older Reliquary of Saint Domitian, which dates from the middle 1100s.
There’s a dungeon from the 16th century and you can still read the centuries-old graffiti written by prisoners.
And just round the corner from that you can see Celtic symbols recreated in rope.
Then we found a section showcasing the interesting and varied mineralogy and geology of this alpine area.
And if that wasn’t enough, during our visit the museum was also host to the millstART exhibition, with artworks at various locations within the museum.
The monastery church, which is now the parish church of Christ the Saviour and All Saints, was built in the second quarter of the 12th century replacing an earlier church. The characteristic twin steeples were added between 1166 and 1177 and the Baroque onion domes were added about 1670.
It’s certainly worth looking inside this beautifully decorated church.
And a stone’s throw from the church, on the main road, you’ll find the impressive Lindenhof Millstatt, the former castle of the Grand Master of the Knights of Saint George, a mainly Renaissance building with Romanesque foundations.
Kärnten might be Austria's best-kept secret. It is a beautiful province with over 200 splendid lakes in a landscape marked by high peaks and scenic valleys.