Details for: Traunfellnerweg, no. 64
Brief descriptionPöggstall and the small charming village of Braunegg, located 860 m high, are connected by the wonderful "Traunfellnerweg".
In the Southern Waldviertel you hike in the footsteps of the painter Franz Traunfellner (1913-1986). He spent most of his life in the small village of Gerersdorf, a farming village located high above the Weitental. His expressive pictures often reduce the Waldviertel to the essentials. In nearby Pöggstall Castle, there are dedicated Traunfellner memorial rooms with woodcuts, lithographs, and etchings as well as a documentation about Traunfellner's life. The Traunfellnerweg starts from the castle forecourt and leads over seven kilometers past the artist's favorite places, including Traunfellner’s residence. Equipped with a leaflet containing some landscape motifs, the trail seeker can compare art and reality. The artist is buried in the cemetery of the late Gothic church St. Anna im Felde.
Worth seeing:
Pöggstall Castle - in 2017 it was the venue for the Lower Austrian provincial exhibition “All that is right” - houses a museum about legal history including the only "original" torture chamber and a documentation about the life and work of the artist Franz Traunfellner. The special exhibition “Pöggstall Castle - between region and imperial court” in the barbican tells about the eventful restoration, significant finds, and astonishing stories about the castle lords. A 3D animation clearly shows how the bergfried or later castle grows from its original structure to its current form.
Worth seeing besides Pöggstall Castle with its barbican (roundel) are also the very old St. Anna Church im Felde (1140), the Pöggstall parish church, and the pilgrimage church in Neukirchen (1118) at the Ostrong, which is older as a pilgrimage church than Maria Taferl.
Leisure tips:
4 tennis courts, beach volleyball court, football field, a covered multi-sport facility, playgrounds, campsite, mountain bike and cycling routes, fishing and riding opportunities, horse farm Laas, Texas Longhorn Austria, Hotglass Atelier Faffelberger, herbal farm Schrammel, brand painting Josef Mitmasser.
Pöggstall, main square
Destination point of the tourPöggstall, main square
Route description Traunfellnerweg, no. 64
Starting from the starting point – preferably after visiting the Traunfellner documentation at Pöggstall Castle – you walk past the castle pond towards Bergern. You look towards the Mandlgupf, into the Weitental valley towards the old pilgrimage church St. Anna im Felde, and the Ostrong. A cozy forest path and a short ascent leads to Straßreith. The view falls on the old farm with its mighty house trees. Past Muckendorf you reach the Wiegenhalt near Braunegg ("halten" = to tend the grazing cattle). In good weather the view from the barrier-free viewing platform extends from Schneeberg to the Totes Gebirge. Looking towards Braunegg, you will certainly recognize the motif of the woodcut "Tauwetter". The "field path" leads into the village. The large mural on the neighboring house of the Mayer guesthouse was painted after a motif by Traunfellner and represents the origin of the place name Braunegg (brandecha = slash-and-burn clearing).
The Mayer guesthouse in Braunegg offers a place to rest. In the Traunfellner corner, when leafing through a folder you find "deeper insights" into the artist and his work as well as "the area around here". Besides food and drink, the hiker also receives Traunfellner art cards with a stamp from the landlord. The path continues to Oed, past the motifs "Oed" and "Föhn" through the high forest of the "Lange Berg" into the valley. Shortly before Gerersdorf, you recognize the "road to Braunegg". Soon after, you reach the Traunfellner House. Looking back from there: you find – artistically reduced to essential lines and surfaces – the motif "full moon". Through the village you continue to the meditative rest area in front of the small chapel "Winternacht". You look onto fields and the ridge of Mandlgupf, above which sometimes perhaps a cloud angel – "moon angel" – floats.
A look through the window of the chapel door shows an old rural processional cross, which Traunfellner depicted in his expressive woodcut "Bauernherrgott". After about 88 meters, the walk leaves the road and follows a farm track to Loibersdorf. Past a historic lime kiln, following a small road, you reach the starting point of the hike.
A1 Melk and over the Danube bridge in Emmersdorf - Weitenegg - Pöggstall
Sturdy footwear, functional clothing, sun and rain protection, map material, if necessary telescopic poles, first aid kit (blister plasters), sufficient provisions (snacks, muesli bars, fruit, water).
Safety informationMake sure when choosing the route that it matches your fitness level. Check whether the gastronomy businesses you want to visit along the way are open. Pack your mobile phone and map material in your backpack.
Map recommendations Hiking region Southern Waldviertel hiking and excursion guide: Southern Waldviertel outing experience, both available at Pöggstall Castle and the Pöggstall municipal office.The hiking guide Hiking region Southern Waldviertel can be ordered in the Waldviertel online shop at Hiking Guide Southern Waldviertel.Hiking region Southern Waldviertel (map and brochure)In good weather, there is a fantastic panoramic view of the Alpine foothills and the Gesäuse mountains. The viewing platform, which is located on the hiking trail, helps with the identification of the mountain peaks through information boards.
