More than 110 kilometres of hiking trails, a swimming lake with step-free access and churches with diverse art-historical connections shape the range of options in Waldhausen in the Strudengau. When planning your trip, you can focus on a challenging circular route, time by the water or sacred architecture. The Waldhausen Advent event, held annually around 8 December, may also influence your choice of dates. Depending on when you travel, hiking, swimming, church art or Advent can take centre stage.
Hiking: Trail Network and Panoramic Loop
Waldhausen’s hiking trail network covers more than 110 km. The Panoramic Loop is an IVV-certified hiking trail and a challenging circular route. It passes through the typical hilly landscape of the Mühlviertel at an altitude of 500 to 700 m, by natural rock formations, and offers magnificent views. Information about the trail network and the Panoramic Loop can help with different decisions: the network provides the broader picture, while the route is defined more specifically by its difficulty, elevation and landscape. If you are looking for a challenging circular route, you can make the Panoramic Loop the focus of a day of hiking.
Waldhausen Swimming Lake
Waldhausen Swimming Lake offers a different kind of experience. Its surface area is around 3.5 ha, and its maximum depth is 4 m. Water sports facilities include a wakeboard and water-ski lift. Amenities include an accessible lakeside promenade with a sunbathing lawn and beach volleyball court, as well as step-free access to the swimming lake. This makes the lake an activity you can plan as a separate focus alongside the challenging circular route.
Collegiate Church and Parish Church
The early Baroque Collegiate Church of the Assumption of Mary was built between 1650 and 1680. It houses almost 300 colourful frescoes attributed to Christoph Colomba. Another art-historical landmark is the nave of Waldhausen Parish Church, considered one of Austria’s most significant post-Gothic structures. For a stay focused on architectural history, these offer two perspectives: the construction period and frescoes of the collegiate church, and the post-Gothic classification of the parish church nave. The distinction between early Baroque and post-Gothic provides a clear point of comparison, while the frescoes offer a separate focus within the collegiate church.
Waldhausen Advent and Getting There
The Waldhausen Advent event takes place annually around 8 December in the collegiate complex on SchloĂźberg. If you choose to make the event a seasonal highlight of your trip, check the exact event date in advance.
One possible public transport route is via Amstetten station on the Western Railway; from Grein, continue to Waldhausen by bus. Check the timetables separately for your specific travel date before making firm plans to use this connection. When choosing your travel dates, it is helpful to consider the train and bus legs together.
Discover more destinations: Grein on the Danube, Dimbach, Naarn in Machland, StraĂź, Mauthausen, Sankt Thomas am Blasenstein, Mitterkirchen in Machland, Allerheiligen in the MĂĽhlkreis
See the main travel overview: Perg.
