Discover Rattersdorf: Pilgrimage Church, Trails and Landscape

Rattersdorf combines an exceptional pilgrimage history with a hilly landscape in Central Burgenland. The pilgrimage church, trails towards Kőszeg and the characteristic old sweet chestnut trees give the village several distinct facets. When planning a trip, you can therefore choose between culture, pilgrimage, hiking and cross-border cycling tours.

Pilgrimage Church with a Unique Architectural History

The Rattersdorf pilgrimage church is a building complex formed by two churches that have grown together. The parish was founded around 1300, and pilgrimage in Rattersdorf also began around the same time. A defensive wall surrounds the complex, which developed between the 13th and 17th centuries. The oldest part is a chapel in the basement of the tower dating from the 13th century.

Individual details also make the church area interesting from a cultural and historical perspective. The Rattersdorf miraculous image of Maria Lactans is a copy of the votive image from 1644. On the eastern side of the church, the “Bründl”, a holy spring, is located in the former cemetery. The history of the village can thus be explored not only through the large architectural structure, but also through smaller traditional sites and artworks.

Rattersdorf has three main pilgrimage days: the Sunday after 2 July, 15 August and 8 September. Hungarian pilgrims travelling on foot to Mariazell stop in Rattersdorf. For your planning, this means that you can focus your stay more strongly on the religious tradition on one of the pilgrimage days mentioned, or consider the church and its surroundings as a cultural highlight independently of them.

Hiking, Nature Park and Cross-Border Trails

The pilgrimage church is located in the hilly landscape of Central Burgenland, between forests and meadows. Very old sweet chestnut trees are considered characteristic of Rattersdorf and add a distinctive natural feature to the landscape. If you would like to include not only a single point of interest but also physical activity in your trip planning, you will find several different trail ideas.

The “alpannonia” circular hiking trail connects Rattersdorf via Siebenbründl and the Althaus observation tower on the Zeigerberg with Kőszeg and then leads back to Rattersdorf. In Rattersdorf, the Mária Út turns left in front of the church and continues to the border. This trail also runs through the Írottkő-Geschriebenstein Nature Park from Rattersdorf towards Kőszeg. For cyclists, the cross-border MTB-Geschriebenstein route passes through Rattersdorf.

The Geschriebenstein-Roas 2025 also passed through Rattersdorf. During this event, the village was a refreshment station where hikers and female and male runners were provided with food, drinks and encouragement. This information refers to the event in 2025 and is not a general events calendar for future trips.

Rattersdorf as a Base for Planning Your Trip

When looking for a holiday apartment in Rattersdorf, you can consider which focus should define your stay. The pilgrimage church and the main pilgrimage days favour a culture- and tradition-oriented itinerary. The “alpannonia” circular hiking trail, the Mária Út and the MTB-Geschriebenstein route, on the other hand, offer various options for days on foot or by bicycle. If your travel group has different interests, you can divide your stay accordingly between church architecture, landscape and physical activity.

For travelling by public transport, Rattersdorf has the “Rattersdorf, Bahnhofstraße” stop within the Burgenland transport network. Another named place in the village is Gasthaus Hutter in Rattersdorf. If you do not want to limit your search to Rattersdorf, you can also compare other places: Stoob, Draßmarkt, Kroatisch Minihof, Weppersdorf, Markt Sankt Martin, Karl, Steinberg and Nikitsch.

For the higher-level travel overview: Oberpullendorf.