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The Full Story
TEUFELSGASSE (Devil's Lane)
Info about the hike
Route:
Faulernkapelle - Devil's lane - Prostalm - Faulernkapelle
Distance:
Ca. 8km (around 5 miles)
Metres/feet in altitude:
Ca. 350m up / 350m down (ca. 1090 feet each)
For children:
Yes (with good basic fitness)
For dogs:
Yes (if you take the suitable route)
Suitable for winter:
No (Danger of slipping in the lane and no winter service)
Idyllic between pastures and cliffs
Greeted by a statue of the devil, you start from the car park at the Faulern Chapel and walk up towards the Devil's lane. There are many places to sit and rest along the way. Some are man-made and others are not.
A pleasant gravel path zigzags upwards along the slightly cliffy wall until you reach the upper plateau. There, a magnificent view presents itself with flowery meadows and a mountain feeling like long ago.
You get the feeling that you have been transported back in time by one or two centuries. You shouldn't follow the gravel path too much at the top, though, because now we're heading into Devil's Lane and that's what we came here for after all.
Have you insured your soul well? Yes? Because according to legend, the devil created this alley. Its purpose? To trap the souls of sinful men here for eternity.
Let's hope you've been good. Many have claimed to be, yet were immortalised in the alley.
One last prayer and off we go.
Paying the devil a visit
Picturesque, natural beauty and... possessed by the devil. The Teufelsgasse (Devil's lane) and its surroundings are truly a hidden treasure of the Wilder Kaiser region.
There are two ways to complete my loop. Me and my Girlfriend Isabelle started from the very bottom, as we thought the lower car park in the valley was the official one. However, there is of course another one further up, but unlike our car park, it is chargeable.
There are also a few spots on the way up that you can take pictures of for your photo album. But you can also go there by car when there is little traffic, because the spots are right on the road. I'll add these spots on the map at the bottom.
You can find a map with all the photo spots at the end of this post.
Through the Alley of the Damned
At first, it's like walking into an alleyway, where you pass through relatively quickly. I thought to myself, "Is that it?" But watch out...that was only the beginning. What strikes you right away are the many names and words carved into the stone.
Hundreds of names of sinful people that the devil has snatched. In truth, this is more or less a tradition of carving something into the wall. The alley of the sinful has become a footpath with a stone guest book so to speak.
After that, you take a narrow steep staircase out of the first alley and follow a forest path until things really get going. From here on you can say that you really need good footwear.
You still have a choice between two paths. I turned left at the fork and, in my opinion, this decision really paid off.
There is still one last bench to be found here for a while. That's why I recommend refuelling here for the next game and having a drink.
Feeling really small
Now it really gets going. Metre-high rock faces make you feel really small. Some of the grass hangs down from the stone and the individual bushes and trees add the remaining mystical touch.
One more tip for photographers that I would have liked to know back then. Position yourself correctly with regard to the backlight and...what I recommend is that you take the photos from very low, because this way, the stone walls look even higher and more threatening in the photos. But that's just something to remember.
The alleys are a real labyrinth and, combined with the beauty of the surroundings, you often can't stop marvelling.
In some places you can even climb up the wall, as it has a slight incline, but please do so at your own risk.
After all, you would then be an easy victim for the devil and we don't want that of course.
Becoming a child once again
Towards the end of the alley, you then have to squeeze through a stone passageway, which was not exactly easy for me to cross with my 1.91 m height. Nevertheless, it was incredible fun to climb around in the stone and I felt like a child again.
Stone climbs and stairs carved into rock add to the fun. I find that such an excursion adds an enormous amount of variety to the otherwise typical hikes.
But what you mustn't forget in the midst of all the euphoria and climbing is that it can also be energy-sapping. Even if you don't feel it at that moment, this statement is relevant for later.
When you leave the alley, you are rewarded with a magnificent view over the valley and there are also sporadic places to sit.
What I have also seen here a lot are butterflies sitting comfortably on the blooming flowers, which are in abundance here.
Far-sightedness and sweltering heat
Now I come to what I mentioned before. Energy balance...because once you leave the shady forest, you are back on the plain and here, shade is scarce.
What you can hardly get enough of, however, are the beautiful compositions that present themselves to you to take photos. Surrounded by mountains in the distance, peacefully grazing cows and lush flower meadows, the photographer's heart beats faster.
I hope you brought enough to drink with you, though, because there wasn't a single fountain up to this point and combined with the sweltering heat that can boil here, water really gets important due to sweating, thirst and duration.
Even though you can eat and drink something at the Prostalm and replenish your energy reserves, refilling your own bottle is virtually impossible, as the mountain pasture itself has to make do with little water due to the mountain spring.
So the devil's got you after all.
Back through the Alpine paradise
Once the energy reserves are full again, you can slowly start the way back. Now the head is fully hydrated again and the amazement can continue.
Hiking over this infinity of beautiful motifs is also extremely pleasant. You can take photos here that are normally rare in mountainous regions...namely photos that show wide plains.
After about an hour, you arrive back at the beginning of the Teufelsgasse and can now start your way down. You did it. Well done.
In my opinion, this hike is one of the most varied in the Kaiser region. You hike steeply uphill, walk through stone alleys and scramble through holes, you experience an idyll that sends you back in time and for photographers this is a true paradise for taking photos of all kinds.
What is recommended are good shoes, enough to drink and a rested body, because this hike requires some strength and endurance.
All photo spots for you at a glance
If you are planning to visit this wonderful place with all the photo spots I heartily recommend, I have marked all the points on the map for you.
If you have found other beautiful places to photograph, please feel free to send them to me via the contact form and I will add them to the map (with a mention, of course).
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