One of the most important buildings of the “Sun Village” Thurn is the St. Helena Church along the Peace Trail
Image gallery: Thurn
Altitude: 854 m a.s.l.
Thurn rises at the foot of Mt. Zettersfeld in the heart of the Lienz Dolomites, a popular hiking and skiing area. Already in 1308 AD, in the village there were two castles, one of which was the fortified and residential tower on the Schlössbichl hill. This is also where the name derives from: Thurn is an ancient way of writing for "Turm", which means "tower" in German. The St. Nicholas Church in the village, however, has also been Fatima Pilgrimage Church since 1943.
Today, Thurn represents - together with Gaimberg and Oberlienz - one of the "Sun Villages", which can be explored on seven Sun Paths. Among them there is the "Experience Birdlife" path. It starts at one of the oldest buildings of the village, the Kammerlander Farm, and provides interesting information about the native birds. The area is a real birds paradise: Here, on the largest alluvial cone of the Eastern Alps, there are nest sites for almost 100 bird species.
A hike leads further up to the Steinermandl viewpoint at 2,216 m a.s.l., characterised by a splendid view on the Lienz Dolomites and the South Tyrolean Dolomites, and to the Neualpl Lakes at 2,436 m a.s.l. In winter, however, Mt. Zettersfeld - together with Mt. Hochstein - turns into the Lienzer Bergbahnen Skiing Area. Mt. Zettersfeld is perfect for families and features also a snow park.
