Photo: Andrea Pock

Höllisch Graben Sankt Anna am Aigen

St. Anna/Aigen, Styria

The Devil's Rage Since the Middle Ages, the Stradner Kogel has been considered not only in legend as a witches' meeting place, but is also mentioned as such in the Gleichenberg witch trials. With "eerie words," witches were said to have brewed storms there and caused hail to fall. The accused women died agonizingly at the stake. The legend of the Witches' Sabbath, to which the devil himself was also invited, has, however, been passed down to this day. According to it, disputes arose and Lucifer angrily left the gathering. The swath that he carved in his rage as a trail of devastation through the scree is still called "Höllisch Graben" (Hell's Ditch) today. There, along the Weinweg der Sinne (Wine Path of the Senses), hikers encounter very interesting figures. But fortunately, there is no need to be afraid, as they consist mainly of metal. How the Höllisch-Graben came into being One day, the witches of the entire region met at full moon on the Stradnerkogel for a Witches' Sabbath. The devil learned of this and joined the illustrious company. They danced and celebrated until sunrise. The devil vied for the souls of the witches, but he could not win their favor. Finally, they agreed on a bet. The devil was to build a huge castle on the southern edge of the plateau by 12:00 noon, from which one could overlook the land far to the south and east. The devil quickly set to work, but had overlooked that on this day, "Anna-Tag" (Anna's Day) was being celebrated in Sankt Anna. Since he could not stand the sound of bells, but on this day the church bells often rang, he had to interrupt his work again and again and flee. He soon realized that his work would not succeed. However, when he learned that the witches knew very well that Anna's Day was being celebrated in St. Anna, he became so enraged that he destroyed his work and, with shouts, noise, and stench, drove south to hell. Everything that stood in his way – trees and rocks – he cleared aside, creating a deep ditch – the Höllischgraben.