Huettenberg Lingkor, Buddhist pilgrimage stairs in Hüttenberg, Austria.
Huettenberg Lingkor is a Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage path built into the rock face opposite the Heinrich Harrer Museum in Hüttenberg, Austria. It runs past chörten (stupas), mani walls, image walls, prayer niches and prayer wheels, and is walked clockwise in the lamaist tradition. Most of the route consists of a steel stairway.
The Lingkor was built as part of a planned university for Tibetan medicine and philosophy under governor Jörg Haider, a project that failed for lack of funding. The Dalai Lama, a lifelong friend of Hüttenberg-born Heinrich Harrer, blessed the path on 23 October 2002. After a landslide, it was extensively restored in 2015, financed by the municipality's sale of Harrer's house.
Prayer wheels along the steps can be spun clockwise by visitors, following a Tibetan Buddhist custom tied to the recitation of mantras. Each spin is considered a spiritual act, and many people walk the full route slowly, stopping at each station.
The path is most accessible from May through October, as the stairs can become slippery in cold or wet conditions. Parking is available near the Heinrich Harrer Museum, which is a good starting point for finding the route.
The steel stair structure was forged by Helmut Unterweger of Althofen, with technical planning by Peter Schallaschek of Klagenfurt and artistic design by painter Werner Engelmann from Steinsdorf in Bavaria. The Dalai Lama blessed the path during his visit to Hüttenberg on 23 October 2002.
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