Guglwald combines border history with outdoor activities. The Iron Curtain DenkWeg is a five-kilometre hiking trail along the Austrian-Czech border. There are also hiking trails that start and end at Hotel Guglwald, a freely accessible memorial site and gravel cycling routes that follow the border. When choosing accommodation in Guglwald, you can first consider whether hiking, chapel history or a ride into the Bohemian Forest should be your main focus.
Hiking Between the Border and Chapels
The V1 Guglwald Loop begins and ends at Hotel Guglwald; the Gugler Chapel can be reached along this route. The V2 Steinerne MĂĽhl Trail also starts and ends at the hotel. The V6 Iron Curtain Trail focuses on the historical border: it leads from the hotel through Czech territory, through the former death strip along the Iron Curtain, and back to the hotel. The routes can therefore be distinguished by their themes: the V1 combines a circular route with the Gugler Chapel, while the V6 follows the route through the former death strip.
The Iron Curtain Memorial in Guglwald can be reached via the V4 Poimer Panorama Trail and the V5 Windpark Trail. This gives you several options when choosing a hike: a trail to the Gugler Chapel, a route connected with the former death strip, and trails to the memorial. The starting points and access routes listed here can help you decide in advance which place or theme you would like to focus on during your walk.
Border History on Site
The Iron Curtain Memorial was established in 1999 with a reconstructed section of the barbed-wire fence at the border crossing. The Iron Curtain DenkStein in Guglwald is freely accessible to everyone. The border crossing into neighbouring Czechia is just a few metres from Hotel Guglwald. Together, these locations give border history a tangible presence: you encounter it at the memorial as well as along the trails and tours described here.
Chapels and Local History
The Gugler Chapel is dedicated to the Holy Family. The Gugler property also has a long-standing connection with chapels: for generations, it had its own private chapel. Between 2010 and 2015, Josef and Marianne Kitzmüller built a new chapel next to the property. The chapel’s history therefore includes both a tradition spanning generations and a new building whose date is clearly established.
Another local discovery is Kitzmüller Weaving, a long-established textile business just a short walk from Hotel Guglwald. The weaving mill’s shop and its farm shop offer textiles, gift ideas and souvenirs. A visit to the textile business thus adds a different focus to the hiking trails and memorial sites. When planning your stay, you can decide whether this insight into a local business also suits your interests.
Gravel Cycling Routes Across the Border
There are different routes for gravel cycling, too. The “Böhmerwaldschotter” gravel tour begins and ends at Hotel Guglwald. The “Mehr Se(h)enrunde | Guglwald” tour also starts there, crosses the border into Czechia after a few kilometres, and then runs almost entirely on the Czech side through the Bohemian Forest. The difference is relevant when planning: the start and finish of the Böhmerwaldschotter are at the hotel, while the subsequent border route is the defining feature of the Mehr Se(h)enrunde. You can choose between the tours based on which of these two aspects matters more for your outing.
Discover more destinations: Godersdorf, Altenfelden, UntermĂĽhl, Sankt Peter Am Wimberg, Auberg, Atzesberg, Nebelberg, Peherstorf
See the overview of the wider region: Rohrbach.
