Maria Laach am Jauerling lies in the heart of the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park. Two main themes can guide your choice of local attractions: trails with different themes and the pilgrimage church with its Late Gothic furnishings. The Jauerling observation tower and the farmers’ market are also worth a visit. You can shape your stay around the landscape, church art or regional specialties. A hike across the high plateau and along forest paths, a trail with stations and a route linking three churches each offer a different focus.

Hiking Trails and Views on the Jauerling

The Maria Laach Kraftweg trail runs past eleven stations; examples include the sound station, terrace path and stone gate. The Maria Laach–Jauerling hike is an easy tour across the Jauerling high plateau and along gentle forest paths. This hiking trail is marked throughout with uniform yellow signs. The two routes therefore differ in their character: the Kraftweg focuses on its stations, while the hike follows terrain that combines the high plateau and forest paths. If you are looking for an easy hike, the Maria Laach–Jauerling tour offers just that.

The Jauerling observation tower offers another way to take in the landscape. The wooden structure is 38 m tall and stands at an elevation of 960 m. From the tower, the panoramic view extends from the Danube Valley across the Dunkelsteinerwald forest to the Alps and the southern Waldviertel. If you would like to pair a visit to the Jauerling with a wide-ranging view over these landscapes, you can consider the observation tower as a destination in its own right.

Pilgrimage Church and Three-Church Trail

The pilgrimage church of Maria Laach has largely preserved its medieval furnishings. Outstanding works include the double-winged altar created in 1480, one of Lower Austria’s best-preserved Late Gothic examples of carving and painting. The church also houses the miraculous image of “Maria Sechsfinger” (Mary with Six Fingers). Together, the furnishings, altar and miraculous image offer several specific points of interest for a visit to the church.

The Three-Church Trail places the pilgrimage church in a broader context: it ends at the pilgrimage church of the Visitation of Mary in Maria Laach and connects it with the parish church of St. Stephen in Weiten and the pilgrimage church of St. Andrew in Heiligenblut. A visit to the artworks in Maria Laach and a route linking three named churches are thus two different ways to explore the town’s cultural highlights.

Farmers’ Market and Weekend Transport

The Maria Laach farmers’ market takes place every Saturday in the Kerblerhaus on the market square and offers specialties from Jauerling’s farmers. If you plan to visit the market, make sure to allow for a Saturday and check the date before your trip. The Jauerling Rufbus also runs at weekends, connecting Aggsbach, Emmersdorf, Maria Laach, Mühldorf, Raxendorf, Spitz and Weiten. Since timetables and reservation requirements may change, check both before travelling.

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