The legend trail from Burgeis to Marienberg Abbey

The path starts at the edge of Burgeis and follows the waymarks no. 17 and 22 of the Sonnensteig. It climbs the St. Benedict path through meadows and forest to Marienberg Abbey, roughly 120 metres of ascent in all. Burgeis lies at just over 1,200 m; according to South Tyrol Marketing the abbey stands at about 1,340 m.

At the abbey the path turns back towards Burgeis. The circuit in the GPX file climbs on the shorter path and returns to the village on a second, somewhat longer one. The Fürstenburg castle and the village churches of Burgeis are not far from the path.

From Ferienhotel Kastellatz, paths 2A and 2 also lead down to the abbey. If you start there, you can walk down to Burgeis on the St. Benedict path and take the bus back.

According to the newspaper “Vinschger”, the Sonnensteig themed trail was presented by the Ferienregion Obervinschgau in June 2011. The wooden sculptures are by the sculptor Raimund Spiess, the texts by Helene Dietl Laganda. They tell ten legendary figures, from the Burgeiser Nörggele (the gnome of Burgeis) to the Spondiniger Rössl (the pony of Spondinig); between Burgeis and the abbey there are also six panels about St. Benedict, the Benedictines and the abbey.

According to the Ferienregion Vinschgau, Marienberg is the highest-lying Benedictine abbey in Europe. The museum, abbey church, shop and abbey café are open to visitors, the crypt with its Romanesque frescoes only on a guided tour. More is on our page about Burgeis and Marienberg.

In Burgeis it is worth a look at the Fürstenburg castle from the 13th century, the parish church of the Immaculate Conception and St. Michael. From above the village you can see far across the Upper Vinschgau towards the Ortler.

The signposting is that of the Sonnensteig; the GPX file shows an approximation of the circuit, and on the ground the waymarks apply. Sturdy shoes are enough. In the wet, roots and stones in the forest are slippery; in snow and ice you should avoid the path.

You reach Burgeis from our house with bus line 277; from Mals the Citybus 274 also runs to Burgeis. Line 277 also stops at Marienberg Abbey, so you can start or end the walk at the abbey. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, bus and train in South Tyrol are included during your stay; timetables are on suedtirolmobil.info.

Opening times of the museum, the abbey café and the churches change with the season and are on the abbey’s website. According to the abbey, the museum is closed on Sundays and church holidays. The abbey asks you to register for guided tours.