Kauns: Berneck Castle, Nature and Themed Trails

Berneck Castle and Historic Buildings

Berneck Castle, also known as Schloss Berneck or Bernegg, is a castle complex built around 1200. All three names refer to the same complex. On its south side, a gallery runs above a 130-metre-high rock face and offers a view down into the depths. The site can therefore be understood through two distinct features: the castle’s architectural history and the rocky setting of the gallery. The chapel at Berneck Castle is dedicated to Saint Bartholomew; this dedication adds a distinct cultural note within the castle grounds.

Kauns is also home to the Catholic parish church of St James the Elder and the Chapel of the Holy Cross, also known as Schranzkapelle, both of which are protected monuments. The Tyrolean list of monuments maintained by the Federal Monuments Authority, dated 23 June 2026, includes both buildings. Together with the castle chapel, these represent three distinct religious landmarks: a chapel with a named dedication, a parish church and another chapel with protected status.

Nature Reserve and Themed Trail

The Kauns–Kaunerberg–Faggen Nature Reserve includes dry grasslands, rocky bands, shrub and woodland islands, and overgrown dry-stone walls. Its landscape features range from open, dry grassland and stony formations to areas covered in vegetation. Dry-stone walls are built from stones gathered from the surrounding area; in their overgrown form, these stone structures meet vegetation. The area therefore cannot be reduced to a single landscape type.

The Kauner Forest and Shrub Educational Trail is a themed trail through the nature reserve. It is 2.7 km long and starts and ends at the Kauns municipal office. Its length and start and finish points give the trail a clear structure. This differs from the route of the Kauns–Kaltenbrunn pilgrimage trail, which ends at the pilgrimage church of Kaltenbrunn, and from the tour to the Aifneralm, which starts at the Kauns municipal office.

Trails with Different Destinations

The pilgrimage trail has a named start and destination: it begins in Kauns and leads to the pilgrimage church of Kaltenbrunn. The tour to the Aifneralm also starts at the Kauns municipal office; trail conditions may vary by season. The three trails therefore differ according to the specific information provided for each: the educational trail has a stated length and start and finish points, the pilgrimage trail has a stated destination, and the Aifneralm tour has a stated starting point and a seasonal caveat. Check the conditions for the Aifneralm tour according to the time of year.

An Herb Garden as an Additional Highlight

The Kauner Herb Corner is an herb garden at the organic farm of Verena and Edgar Buchhammer. It adds a focus on herbs and gardening to the historical and landscape themes. If you would like to include this focus in your interests, you can distinguish it from the buildings and trails described here: it is a named herb garden on an organic farm. This lets you give local themes specific weight when planning, rather than treating the castle, nature reserve, routes and garden as interchangeable destinations.

Discover more travel destinations: Kaunerberg, Strengen, Tösens, Pians, Ladis, Landeck, Feichten in the Kaunertal, Nauders.

For the broader travel overview: Landeck District.