Deutsche Kapelle, Religious site in Bad Bleiberg, Austria

The Deutsche Kapelle is a small chapel in Bad Bleiberg featuring traditional Austrian architecture with religious symbols integrated into its design. The building displays the typical characteristics of a village chapel and is protected as a cultural monument.

The first chapel was consecrated on 15 August 1693, after a legend that Mary appeared seated on a stone to a Bleiberg mine owner or a shepherd in distress. Its builders were Bleiberg miners or the farmers of the upper Villach villages. In 1731 the wooden chapel was replaced by a masonry one, consecrated only in 1853.

The name Deutsche Kapelle distinguishes it from the Windische Kapelle, the second mountain church on the Dobratsch. The chapel is consecrated to Maria am heiligen Stein, and a legend tells of Mary appearing seated on a stone to a Bleiberg mine owner or a shepherd in distress. It is a filial church of the Roman Catholic parish of Bad Bleiberg.

The chapel stands at 2,159 m on the Dobratsch, well above Bad Bleiberg, so it is reached by mountain trail rather than from the town centre. Approach on foot from the surrounding alpine paths and check conditions before setting out, as snow can cover the route for much of the year.

The chapel carries both a German and a Slovenian name, reflecting the cross-border history of this region. This dual naming reveals the cultural interweaving between Austrian and Slavic influences in the area.