An easy 5.99-kilometre circular trail starts and ends in Bad Schönau’s spa park; information boards along the way invite you to pause and reflect. Other highlights include the history of a fortified church protected by a triple defensive wall and hiking trails with different focuses. Bad Schönau is surrounded by gently rolling hills. The trails, landscape and local history therefore offer different ways to explore the area.
Hiking: Information Boards, Valley Trail and Panoramic Views
The “Weg der Blicke Bad Schönau” is an easy circular hiking trail. Several boards featuring short texts and quotations encourage you to pause and reflect along the way. The circular route combines exercise with food for thought. If, when choosing a hike, you want to consider more than just the route and also look for stops like these, this trail has a clearly defined focus.
The trail through the Tiefenbach Valley has a different character: it follows the Tiefenbach Au from Bad Schönau towards Krumbach along a shady, low-traffic walking path. The Hutwisch circular hike links well-marked trails to Hutwisch and back, and leads to a viewing platform. From there, the 360° panorama stretches across Schneeberg, Rax and Wechsel, and in the other direction as far as Lake Neusiedl, Hungary and beyond southern Burgenland. How far you can see depends on the weather.
The trails differ in the features described: the Weg der Blicke focuses on an easy circular route and its information boards, while the Hutwisch circular hike is distinguished by its trail markings and long-distance views. Check current trail conditions before setting out.
Fortified Church, Rectory and Church of St. Mary
Bad Schönau’s fortified church was protected by a triple defensive wall, which also enclosed the rectory. The rectory was built around 1320 as a fortified residential tower, or castle, on a middle terrace. Its eastern section features a Renaissance façade dating from the 16th century. The rectory’s role as a fortified residence is therefore also part of the history of the church complex.
The old fortified church had become too small before the Church of St. Mary was built; it was completed in the summer of 1968. In September 1995, its stained-glass windows were replaced with new ones from the Schlierbach Abbey art-glass workshop. These dates mark two distinct milestones: the construction of the Church of St. Mary and the later renewal of its windows.
Another landmark is the Teufelsmühle (Devil’s Mill). Josef Kager, the retired farmer of the Stroblhof, built it in 1977 near the Hohen Stein; in 2012, it was renovated by the “Schön & Aktiv” association. The footpath there leads from the Koder inn through the spa park and past the tennis courts.
Culture and Mineral Water Therapies
The cultural programme at the Sconarium includes a hall used for concerts, cabaret and screenings. A modern, interactive exhibition explores natural carbon dioxide gas as a local healing treatment. The venue thus brings together event facilities and information about a health treatment associated with Bad Schönau.
Mineral water therapies offered in Bad Schönau include baths, walking exercises and drinking cures. If you are planning a specific treatment, check its availability in advance with local providers.
Travelling by Public Transport
By public transport, the journey first takes you to Wiener Neustadt on the Südbahn railway. From there, take the Aspangbahn to Edlitz-Grimmenstein station, then continue by bus to Bad Schönau. Check the transport operators’ timetables before departure and plan your connections according to the times that apply to your journey.
Discover more destinations: Bromberg, Krumbach, Sollenau, Muggendorf, Maiersdorf, Loipersdorf, Offenegg, Klingfurth
For the broader travel overview: Wiener Neustadt.
