Pfaffensattel - Peter-Bergner-Warte (Pretul)

Access to starting point:
From the border crossing Šentilj we continue driving on the highway towards Graz / Graz and further towards Linz and Salzburg. We soon leave Highway A9 and continue driving slightly to the right towards Vienna / Wien, proceeding on the expressway S35. From this highway, we then merge onto Highway S6, still following the signs for Vienna. We leave the highway after the tunnel Spital / S. and then take the same-named exit for Semmering. We continue following the signs for Steinhaus and Spittal / S., shortly afterwards turning left towards the settlement Birkfeld and the pass Pfaffensattel. We continue following the signs for the mentioned pass, where we park.

Path description:
From the pass, we head to the western side of the pass in the direction of the hut Alois-Günther-Haus, where for a few steps we walk on a macadam road, then the path splits.
We continue right on the footpath (straight ahead the path continues on the road, and when the road is open, one can drive to the top for a fee), which leads us past a cross. A little further, we cross a poor macadam road leading to a small quarry, then we continue through the forest for some time. Higher up, we reach the macadam road leading to the summit, but we follow it only briefly as the signs direct us sharply left from the road onto the mountain path, which we continue on. Further on, we walk partly through forest, partly over short scenic sections, higher up the forest ends.
We continue with nice views reaching the nearby Wechsel group, to the south we see Mount Masenberg with the highest peak Pongratzer Kogel, in front of us opens the view to Stuhleck.
When we approach quite close to the macadam road leading to the summit, we also reach the eastern ridge of the summit Stuhleck, from where the view opens to the eastern peaks of the Northern Limestone Alps. This is followed by about 15 minutes of moderate ascent and we arrive at the hut Alois-Günther-Haus, a few steps further to the panoramic summit, which is the highest peak of the hills east of the Mur.
From the summit of Stuhleck we continue on the marked path which starts descending from the summit towards the southwest and alongside which are signs for the hut Rosegger Haus. During the descent, the path first leads past the upper station of the cable car at Stuhleck, then past the branch-off of the ski touring route towards the settlement Rettenegg. The descent ends at the saddle Schwarzriegel, where from the left joins another marked path from the settlement Rettenegg, along which also runs the educational path of the planets.
We continue straight in the direction of Mürzzuschlag and Roseggerhaus and gradually arrive at a belt of sparse spruce forest, where the terrain levels out and we continue along the path on a short swampy section, where the path runs on wooden walkways.
We quickly leave the mentioned section and arrive at the park of wind power plants, in front of which there is a warning sign that there is a life-threatening danger of falling pieces of ice from the plants.
Shortly after the first power plant we cross a macadam road, before the second power plant we go left and return to the road which we crossed a little lower. We follow the road to the right, along it in a few minutes arriving at the indistinct summit Grazer Stuhleck.
Follows a gentle descent on the macadam road, we continue with nice views among the wind power plants. When the descent ends we start ascending again and in a few minutes of moderate ascent arrive at the pasture fence which the road also crosses. Here near the pasture fence is the highest point of the summit Geiereck.
Follows a gentle descent to a marked junction, from which we continue left in the direction of the hut Roseggerhaus (right Moschkogel and Moschkogelhütte). Also further on we walk on a gentle road, which brings us in a few minutes below the summit Pretul, where on the left side, just a few steps from the road on the mentioned summit, we notice the observation tower Peter-Bergner-Warte.
Pfaffensattel - Stuhleck 1:15, Stuhleck - Grazer Stuhleck 1:00, Grazer Stuhleck - Geiereck 0:15, Geiereck - Pretul 0:10.
Description and pictures refer to the condition in May 2023.

On the way: Stuhleck (1782m), Schwarzriegel (1593m), Grazer Stuhleck (1635m), Geiereck (1644m)