Maria Wörth

Did you know that before 1770, the peninsula Maria Wörth was an island? A Marienkirche ("Church of the Virgin Mary") was erected here in the 9th century and was a prominent pilgrimage site. Maria Wörth Island ranks 2nd on the list of the most beautiful islands in Austria. The peninsula and chapel in Maria Wörth are now a famous tourist site and a great postcard and Instagram theme. The peninsula of Maria Wörth glows brilliantly, surrounded by the turquoise-blue water of Lake Wörth ("Wörthersee") and the mountains of the Karawanken.

Maria Wörth is a center of Austrian and European summer tourism, with 330,000 arrivals (although these numbers have declined sharply since the 1950s). Today's parish church Saints Primus and Felician stand on the highest point of the peninsula, with the neighboring Winterkirche beneath it. It is a major pilgrimage site and, due to its romantic setting, a popular wedding church. Another tourist attraction is the nearby Pyramidenkogel, an 851-meter high mountain with a 54-meter high observation platform, the Pyramidenkogel Tower.

Location: Carinthia, Austria
Area: 17.39 km2