Heiligenblut is the village that every picture of the Grossglockner seems to include. The Gothic church of St Vincent, with its slender spire, stands on a knoll at the head of the Mölltal, and behind it the great snow cone of the mountain rises above forested slopes, the whole composition so tidy that it looks like a painting. At about 1,300 metres, the village is the last settlement on the Carinthian side before the high road climbs toward the glacier, and it has been a pilgrimage stop for centuries.
The name means holy blood, and the legend behind it is a good one. A Danish nobleman called Briccius, so the story goes, was travelling home from Constantinople with a vial of Christ's blood when he was caught in an avalanche in the mountains, and the relic was later found, miraculously preserved, under the snow. The church was built to house it, and a small shrine inside holds an elaborately carved Gothic altar and a relic container. It is worth stepping in, even if you are not religious, because the stonework and carved wood are lovely.
The ride into Heiligenblut from the north, over the Hochtor and down through a series of hairpins, is one of the Alps' great descents, and arriving here feels like a reward. Coming the other way, the climb starts with a few gentle turns before the valley tightens and the bends pile up. The road can be crowded in midsummer, but quieter in the early morning or in September, when the larches turn gold and the first snow dusts the peaks. Weather changes fast; thunderstorms are common in July and August afternoons.
The village is small, about a thousand people, but serves visitors well. There are guesthouses, cafes, a few shops and restaurants serving Carinthian specialities such as Kasnudeln, a cheese-filled pasta, and Almkäse from nearby pastures. Fuel here is limited, and it is wise to rely on the bigger places in the valley, Lienz in East Tyrol being the nearest sizeable town, about twenty-four kilometres away. If you can, spend the night. The mountain at dusk, with the last light on its summit, is better than any photo.