A soil education trail by a landscape pond, a viewpoint on Roadlberg and original farmhouses built in the Steinbloß style reveal different sides of Ottenschlag Im Mühlkreis. The landscape, educational offerings and architectural heritage give you concrete points of reference when choosing a destination for nature and history. There are also different ways to get around, from the soil education trail and a hiking path to the S13 Ottenschlag Loop, rated easy. You can base your choice of focus on these local features.

Understanding Soil and Landscape

The first soil education trail in Upper Austria is located at the Mooswiesn landscape pond. The Ottenschlag Soil Education Trail follows a route around the Mooswiesen landscape pond, with a total of ten information boards. It provides information about the region’s soils, how they formed and their impact on landscape development and people. This means the focus is not only on the soils themselves, but also on their role in shaping the landscape and human life.

The starting point is the car park by the Mooswiesen landscape pond, where there is a drinks vending machine and a toilet. Check the current condition of the site and these facilities before your visit.

Trails, Protected Areas and Views

There are routes with different profiles to choose from. The S13 Ottenschlag Loop starts and ends in Ottenschlag im Mühlkreis, is 23.9 kilometres long and is rated easy. A 1.6-kilometre hiking path starts at the Roadlhof snack station and leads through protected mixed forests and flowering dry meadows. You can compare the longer loop and the shorter hike by their length and route type.

At 778 metres, Roadlberg offers a viewpoint at the Sterngartlblick observation tower in the municipalities of Ottenschlag and Alberndorf. The trails on Roadlberg connect to the region’s “Sterngartl-Gusental” mountain bike route network. Roadlberg therefore offers different ways to explore the landscape: a named viewpoint and a link to the regional mountain bike network. The Roadlberg landscape conservation area lies in the municipalities of Alberndorf and Ottenschlag.

Stadlerwiese offers another way to focus on nature. The nature reserve covers around 3.4 hectares and contains a variety of valuable, increasingly rare ecosystems. A total of 102 different plant species have been recorded at Stadlerwiese. The area and the number of species offer two different insights: into the size of the protected area and the site’s botanical diversity.

Architectural Heritage and Local History

The original Mühlviertel farmhouses in Ottenschlag were built in the region’s characteristic Steinbloß style. Their state of preservation and construction make them tangible examples of the region’s architectural heritage.

Heidenstein, with the Teufelsbründl spring, is a cult site around 3,000 years old that may have been dedicated to the Romano-Celtic god of life. Another historical period began in 1799, when a fire destroyed almost the entire village. Afterward, the villagers vowed to make an annual pilgrimage to Altenberg. An ancient cult site and a dated event in local history thus stand side by side as different points of historical interest.

Discover more destinations: Puchenau, Gramastetten, Bad Leonfelden, Reichenau Im Mühlkreis, Sankt Gotthard Im Mühlkreis, Herzogsdorf, Lichtenberg, Ottensheim

Go to the regional travel overview: Urfahr-Umgebung.