Discover the fantastic nature and varied landscape of the Murau region on your next vacation!
Krakau is a municipality in the district of Murau in the Austrian province of Styria since the beginning of 2015. It was created as part of the Styrian municipal structure reform from the municipalities of Krakaudorf, Krakauhintermühlen and Krakauschatten, which were dissolved at the end of 2014. Styrian Krakau has been part of the Mountaineering Villages Initiative of the ÖAV since 2008. Krakaudorf is the main village of the Krakautal, a high plateau that stretches east-west in the southern part of the Schladminger Tauern and has about 1450 inhabitants.
Culture and sights
Catholic parish church Krakaudorf St. Oswald
Catholic branch church St. Ulrich am Hollerberg
Catholic parish church Krakauebene St. Ulrich
Sights include the mountain landscape, small chapels (including the "Styrian Lord"), lakes and the Günster waterfall, which with a drop of 65 meters is the highest waterfall in Styria.
Customs and tradition play a major role in the annual calendar. Every second year in February, on "Damisch Mountog" (Rose Monday), the Faschingrenner return; a noisy procession from house to house of about 50 people wearing pointed hats, followed by a merchant's pack with horse, Rossknecht, Schinder, Schmied, etc. The origin of this custom goes back to the miners who mined silver in the bishop's hole of the Preber (2740 m) about 200 years ago. The circular dance, the Radl or Kranzl was first performed by these miners.
At Easter, carpentered Easter fires, some up to twelve meters high, burn in many places in the valley. On the first Sunday in August the Oswaldisonntag is celebrated. The church festival in honor of St. Oswald begins with a procession through Krakaudorf, with the girls carrying decorated statues of the Virgin Mary and the boys carrying St. Oswald through the village. In the afternoon the Samson and his guard make their appearance.
Natural monuments
Günster waterfall, with a height of 65 meters the highest waterfall in Styria.
