Visitors who choose Naarn Im Machlande can plan their stay around a clear focus: churches and the local history museum for history, the Au Nature Trail and cycling route for exploring the area, and the leisure facility and fish pass for a connection with the water. The specific differences between the offerings help you choose topics that suit your trip.
Churches and history in Naarn
Naarn Parish Church is dedicated to Saint Michael the Archangel and is one of the oldest churches in the Mühlviertel. Built around 1070 in the Romanesque style, it has a Baroque high altar dating from 1732. The construction date and the altar thus point to two different periods. Those interested in ecclesiastical architecture can see both the church’s Romanesque origins and a later Baroque design feature.
Another religious building is the Maria Laab pilgrimage church. It was first mentioned in a document in 1092; the church’s notable features include the Gothic sculpture “Coronation of Mary.” The year marks the first documentary mention, while the sculpture is a specific artistic highlight. These offer distinct points of interest: an early historical reference and a Gothic work.
The Naarn Im Machlande local history museum also has a well-documented history: the building was first mentioned in 1796. In 1989, the market town of Naarn acquired it to establish a local history museum there. The complex reopened in June 2014 with an exhibition on timber rafting, the Aist River log drive and Danube rafting. The exhibition topics of the time thus ranged from the Danube to the Aist and explored different forms of transport and timber movement.
Leisure facility, fish pass and Au Nature Trail
The leisure facility offers a range of activities, including a swimming lake and a beach volleyball court. At the Danube by the facility, the water is also suitable for activities such as boating in a Zille flat-bottomed boat. The lake, sports court and river trip offer different activities rather than describing the same experience.
Austria’s largest fish pass is located in the Au an der Donau district. An observation tower at the fish pass offers views of the facility and wide-ranging views across the Machland plains. Visitors looking for a scenic vantage point will find both the fish pass itself and views across the plains as specific points of interest.
The Au Nature Trail is a circular route that can be walked in either direction. Depending on the direction, it takes you through the themes “Machland Habitats” or “Machland Experience Areas.” The direction you walk is therefore a practical consideration when choosing a thematic focus. Check the route details again before you travel.
Compare cycling routes and trails
“Take a look around Machland” is an alternative cycling route. It runs through the municipality of Naarn and the market towns of Au and Naarn, passing typical four-sided farmsteads and country inns as well as a short stretch of unspoiled alluvial forest before rejoining the Danube Cycle Path. The route thus combines several specific landscape features with a return to the Danube Cycle Path.
Compared with the Au Nature Trail, the difference lies in the focus: the themes on the circular trail vary depending on the direction you walk, while the cycling route is characterised by four-sided farmsteads, country inns and the short stretch of alluvial forest. The Au/Donau Boatmen’s and Raftsmen’s Chapel is also located directly on the Danube Cycle Path.
Discover more destinations: Au An Der Donau, Ried In Der Riedmark, Dimbach, Saxen, Klam, Rechberg, Langenstein, Baumgartenberg.
For the overview of the wider region: Perg.
