Spittal an der Drau: Culture, Winter Activities and Relaxation

For a winter stay in Spittal an der Drau, you can enjoy not only culture but also tobogganing, ice skating, water attractions and wellness. In winter, the Stadtpark offers a toboggan hill and an ice rink as free recreational activities for children and teenagers. In addition, Drautal Perle features water attractions and a wellness area. This allows you to take different interests into account when looking for accommodation, even if not all travellers choose the same activities.

Culture in the Cityscape

A prominent point of interest is the Stadtpfarrkirche “Maria Verkündigung”. It contains Ortenburger stone reliefs from the 14th century, a portal stone bearing the coat of arms of the Salamanca-Ortenburg family from the 16th century, and a Pietà from the 15th century. This means that several distinct historical layers, clearly distinguishable in time, can be encountered within a single religious building.

The Khevenhüller Stadtschloss, which houses the town hall, is a three-storey Renaissance building with arcades. Schloss Porcia likewise takes the form of a Renaissance palazzo and has a three-storey arcaded courtyard. Today, this courtyard provides a setting for numerous cultural events, including the choral competition and the comedy festival. The gallery in Schloss Porcia presents contemporary visual art in the 500-year-old vaulted colonnade cellar known as the Salamancakeller.

The Parkschlössl, built in the 16th century, is also part of the local cultural landscape. Local artists and self-taught artists are given the opportunity to present their works to the public there. The Spittl, on the other hand, is a historic building that was formerly a hospice, designed in the style of a Renaissance palace with an arcaded courtyard. The designation “formerly” is part of its current classification.

Activities for Different Interests

The Museum of Folk Culture offers a smartphone audio guide in four languages for its thematic departments: German, English, Italian and Slovenian. This can help structure a museum visit for different language groups without limiting the exhibition to a single language.

The MuKi holiday programme is also relevant for families with children, combining creativity, play and culture during the summer holidays. It teaches children about history in an age-appropriate way. Its timing is therefore clearly distinct from the winter activities in the Stadtpark.

Drautal Perle is a sports and leisure pool in Spittal an der Drau. In addition to its water attractions, it has a wellness area with a whirlpool, block sauna, steam and brine sauna, herbal sauna, Finnish sauna and infrared cabin. This documents outdoor activities as well as water and wellness facilities, without allowing any specific characteristics of an accommodation to be inferred.

Drau and DrAUENland

The Drau Cycle Path runs along the Drau to the cultural town of Spittal. In the DrAUENland near Spittal, walkers and cyclists can also find a nature trail and a waterside recreation area. These two offerings have different focuses: the Drau Cycle Path describes a route along the river, while DrAUENland refers to a specific natural area and place to spend time.

If you would like to compare other destinations, you can also find Obervellach, Kremsbrücke, Großkirchheim, Techendorf, Greifenburg, Heiligenblut am Großglockner, Aschbach and Reißeck.

For the overview of the wider region: Spittal an der Drau District.