As a general piece of advice, this daily stage should be linked with a visit to the world-famous Obir-Höhlen caves, with an overnight stay in the village of Bad Eisenkappel. In recent years, the Wögl and Riepl inns have been closed and only offer accommodation in cases of emergency. From the Eisenkappler Hut, follow the 03 eastwards down to Bad Eisenkappel, the southernmost market town in Austria. The trail starts off as a narrow but very beautifully situated downhill track to the Potschulasattel pass at 1,461m. A small chapel stands at the edge of the woods in the meadow and invites you in for a rest. This is also where the track to the Obirhöhlen caves branches off. However, Via Alpina follows the path eastwards over the Jovanberg (1,499m) and the so-called Pruggersteig track through dense woodland down into the market town of Bad Eisenkappel (approx. 2h30min). In the town, just beside the Maria Dorn church, the 603 turns off towards the East. Follow the path along the Lobnigbach stream. At the start, take the municipal road, but then the route soon turns off to the left and the Schlöschitz farmstead. Continue past the Schlöschitzhof farm on gently undulating terrain until reaching approx. 1,000m in altitude at the Haller farm. There, the hiking trail opens again onto a road that leads directly to the Kogoj/Wögl family farm. The path turns off the forest road at a wayside shrine and leads across the Vrečk, Topitschnig and Peternel farmsteads to the Persman farm, where a Second World War memorial stands. Continue over meadowland and a gorge to finally arrive on the road to the Riepl inn. Gasthaus Riepl itself does not offer any accommodation, as it is currently closed. However, (in cases of emergency) the nearby Tschemerhof farm is a possibility, located at the first bend in the road.
In this area, you must pay closer attention to the signposting. From the Lobnigbach stream, however, Bad Eisenkappel is well indicated.
(Eberhard Klaura, ÖTK-Südkärnten)
 

For more than a century, the Eisenkappel mountain region has been known for its abundant mineral springs, which were discovered in the wake of a flood and the consequent change in the course of the Vellach river. The geographical location and the old salt road over the Seebergsattel pass played a crucial role in the foundation of Bad Eisenpappel. When in the 14th century the Habsburgs conquered the port of Triest, Bad Eisenkappel was developing into one of the most important shipment centres for trade with the south (salt and amber road). The oldest record in a document of the existence of the town dates back to the years 1050 and 1060. The name Eisenkappel originally derives from the word Capella, coppl or Kappel. It has been referred to as Eisenkappel since 1890. The “Eisen” part of the name refers back to the metal that was traded and processed in the town. In Bad Eisenkappel, there is an interesting pilgrimage church with a beautiful graveyard to be visited. On 1 February each year, the custom of the "Kirchleintragen" (chapel-carrying procession) is honoured. According to legend, the people of Eisenkappel brought about the recession of a flood by giving a little model church up to the water. At the southern exit from the town lies Hagenegg Castle and the spa centre. Due to Mediterranean influence, there are not only plants from the high North and the Atlantic area in the west but also plants from the eastern steppe zones and the southern countries. Many of these plants are under strict nature protection, and the picking of flowers in the nature reserves of the Trögerner Klamm ravine and Vellacher Kotschna (Kočna) is prohibited. The 114ha Potok nature woodland reserve, established in 1997, is located in the immediate vicinity of the Trögerner Klamm ravine. The woodland populations are left to develop here without any human intervention, and only the wild animal populations are monitored. There is also the Vellacher Kotschna nature reserve, a high valley at 1,000m in altitude, which stretches as far as the national border and across which are scattered the breathtaking Kopa, Mrzla Gora, Baba and Gendarm peaks and the Sanntaler Sattel pass.
(Eberhard Klaura, ÖTK-Südkärnten)