Discover Lauterbach: Trails to Dunkelstein and the Bildbuchen Chapel

Lauterbach combines marked hiking trails with a distinctive viewpoint and a special cultural and historical destination. Those planning a trip involving exercise and discovery will find various points of interest here: a hiking route of around 2 km from Lauterbach to Dunkelstein, Trail No. 653, and the Bildbuchen Chapel, also known as Maria-Bild-Buchen.

Hiking to Dunkelstein

At 625 m, Dunkelstein is the highest point in the southern Dunkelsteinerwald. From the summit, the view extends as far as Maria Langegg and the Alps. These specific destinations alone give your day planning a clear direction without requiring you to commit to just one type of hike. The route from Lauterbach to Dunkelstein is around 2 km long. Take this approximate distance into account when planning your hike and combine the trail with the other sections described around Dunkelstein.

On the return route of the Maria Bildbuche–Dunkelstein hiking trail, the red-white-red marked Trail No. 653 leads to Lauterbach. Just outside Lauterbach, this trail turns left off the road to Lottersberg into the forest and partly follows narrow forest paths. For planning your outing, this means taking into account a change between a marked trail, a road section, and forest passages.

Via Sacra and regional trail connections

A Via Sacra stage also forms part of the network around Lauterbach. The stage from Aggsbach-Dorf to Wilhelmsburg follows the Circular Hiking Trail No. 653 via Besenbuch to Lauterbach and passes Dunkelstein. Lauterbach can therefore be interesting both for a shorter hiking idea and as a reference point within a broader stage plan. Those looking for a holiday apartment should therefore first consider whether the focus is on a single destination around the village or on incorporating it into a longer hike. The existing trail connections help structure your own travel plans objectively.

Bildbuchen Chapel and Maria-Bild-Buchen

The cultural side of Lauterbach includes the pilgrimage chapel known as the Bildbuchen Chapel, also called Maria-Bild-Buchen. It was built in 1894/95 to replace a wooden chapel that burned down in 1892. For visitors wishing to combine nature and history, the chapel provides a distinct thematic highlight alongside Dunkelstein and the hiking trails. Its historical development remains clearly traceable: the construction of today’s Bildbuchen Chapel in 1894/95 followed the destruction of the wooden chapel by fire.

When looking for accommodation in Lauterbach, you can therefore weigh up various travel ideas: a hike to the 625 m-high Dunkelstein, a section on the marked Trail No. 653, inclusion in the Via Sacra stage, or an outing with a cultural and historical focus at the Bildbuchen Chapel. For further destinations in the surrounding area, you can find Kapelln, Kirchberg an der Pielach, Oberwölbling, Altlengbach, Loich, Neulengbach, Traismauer and Oberhofen here.

For the broader travel overview: Sankt Pölten.