Discover Stössing: Hiking Trails, Culture and Service Tree

Stössing combines varied hiking landscapes with remarkable traces of culture. Trails lead through meadows, forests and orchards, while historic church art, wayside shrines and special destinations such as the listed aqueduct in the Au in Hochgschaid are also nearby. Families who enjoy alternating between activity, discovery and more leisurely sightseeing during their holiday will find plenty of options for a varied itinerary.

Hiking Trails Through Forests, Meadows and Orchards

The Kleine Stössinger circular hiking trail starts in the centre of the village near the municipal office. It follows old Stations of the Cross leading into the forest and also includes a visit to the small adjoining monastery cemetery. This trail combines a nature experience with small religious monuments, so you do not have to plan several different themes for this hiking idea.

Another option is the hiking tour from Stössing to Hegerberg. It is classified as moderately difficult and is listed as 4.12 km long, with a duration of 1 hour 30 minutes, 352 metres of ascent and 43 metres of descent. The summit cross on Hegerberg is at an elevation of 655 m. Hegerberg is considered a popular destination for hikers, cyclists, as well as car and motorcycle drivers. The clearly stated route details help you fit this tour appropriately into your holiday day.

The Große Stössinger circular hiking trail has a different focus. Changing views of Stössing, Hegerberg, Schöpfl and Gföhlberg, as well as the valleys of the surrounding villages, alternate with sections of forest, meadows and pastures. The trail follows forest paths, gravel roads, meadow paths in places and one section along an agricultural access road. Its stops and landscape highlights include the abandoned Ödhof above Stössing, the blueberry forest towards Hochgschaid, the Vienna Woods sandstone flysch ravines in the Kottinggrub, traditional orchards along the Hochstraß and the service-tree grove above the Gritschenberger farmstead.

Churches, Wayside Shrines and Historic Traces

The parish church of St. Aegidius in Stössing is a medieval church with Late Gothic and Baroque elements. Its main choir is Late Gothic and has buttresses and pointed-arch windows. The high altar is decorated with statues of St. Aegidius, St. Wendelin and St. Leonard. The cemetery in the village of Hochstraß also contains seven tabernacle wayside shrines designed by the artist Inge Naske.

Another destination of cultural and historical interest is the listed aqueduct in the Au in Hochgschaid. Guided tours of the historic cheese dairy at Hochstraß Monastery are available by prior arrangement. Anyone looking for a holiday apartment who wants to take regional history into account alongside hiking routes can include such destinations as separate excursion ideas.

Regional Features and Getting There

The service tree was rediscovered as a cultural asset in the region around Stössing and is increasingly being introduced to a wider audience. The municipality also offers several opportunities for riding and carriage driving, as well as stabling horses. This means that travel planning can take other interests into account in addition to hiking.

Stössing has a bus connection to Böheimkirchen, where there is a railway station on the Western Railway line. If travelling by car, state road 110 runs through Stössing and connects the village with state road 119 between Altlengbach and Hainfeld, as well as with state road 129 between Böheimkirchen and St. Pölten. You can take this information into account when choosing accommodation and planning your journey, without limiting your holiday days to just one type of experience.

For more destinations to include in your own travel plans, you can also visit Neusiedl, Oed, Ambach, Hofstetten, Statzendorf, Oberhofen, Lauterbach and Stollberg.

For the overview of the wider area: Sankt Pölten.