Oberwolz

Oberwölz, first recorded as a town in 1305, was the smallest town in Styria until the municipal merger of 2015, and it kept its walls because there was never enough money or pressure to pull them down - the enceinte survives largely complete with three of its five gates standing, in a compact oval you can walk round in twenty minutes. Inside are the parish church, a hospital chapel with medieval frescoes, and narrow lanes of low houses. The town has a museum of wind instruments, reflecting a local trade in making them, and a folk museum. The Wölzer Tal above is quiet farming country running up to the Schladminger Tauern, with walking and cross-country skiing.

What to look for

• A near-complete town wall - the medieval enceinte with three surviving gate towers.
• Long Styria's smallest town - recorded as a town since 1305.
• Medieval frescoes - in the hospital chapel inside the walls.
• A wind instrument museum - the local making trade collected and shown.

When to go

May to October. Half a day.

Good to know

Very small - an hour or two covers the town. Museums keep short seasonal hours. The valley is remote with limited public transport and few places to eat outside season.

Nearby

Murau is south; the Schladminger Tauern rise at the head of the valley.

Key facts