Sankt Georgen an der Leys: Hiking, Water and History

Sankt Georgen an der Leys is a destination for anyone who wants to combine hiking with regional history and distinctive landscape impressions. Six hiking routes maintained by the municipality and the rural youth association offer varying levels of difficulty. In addition, there is the Leysbach, which flows through the municipality, a natural waterfall and traces of the historic water supply system.

Hiking Routes with Different Focal Points

A clear introduction to the network of trails is Tour 01, the “Local Loop”. It starts at the Sankt Georgen an der Leys municipal offices and is 3.1 km long. The specific distance makes it easier to include this loop in your daily plans without assuming a walking time. Anyone wishing to accommodate different preferences or requirements within their travel group will find varying levels of difficulty among the six maintained routes.

Another marked route leads to the natural Kendler Waterfall. At the Eckbauer/Hubbauer house, the trail branches off and leads through an idyllic gorge. This gives you two distinctly different hiking options to choose from: a defined local loop starting at the municipal offices and a nature experience in which the trail leads through the gorge to the waterfall. Marked hiking routes from Sankt Georgen an der Leys also pass the natural attraction “Bichl Bucha”.

Water and Historic Traces in the Landscape

The Leysbach is part of the landscape of Sankt Georgen an der Leys. Several aqueducts belonging to the historic Second Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline can also be found throughout the landscape. These structures add a cultural and historical dimension to a hike, as alongside the natural surroundings you will encounter visible traces of a water pipeline of supraregional importance.

The Scheibbs bypass tunnel of the Second Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline is also associated with special memorial features. A wayside shrine on a pillar was erected in 1999 by the City of Vienna, MA 31 – Wiener Wasser, on the occasion of the completion of the bypass tunnel. The niche of the wayside shrine at the Scheibbs bypass tunnel contains a statue of Saint Barbara, the patron saint of miners.

Church, Fortification and Cider Fountain

The cultural heritage of the village includes the Baroque parish church dedicated to Saints George and Gregory the Great. It dates from 1758 to 1762. During your stay, you can complement a walk or hike with a visit to this 18th-century building. The history of Ödenkogel, also known as Dachsberg, reaches even further back: between 1100 and 1400, it was home to a fortification belonging to the Knights of Dachsberg.

Another local feature is the cider fountain in Sankt Georgen an der Leys, which was built by the village’s female farmers. Together with the church, wayside shrines and aqueducts, it creates a multifaceted picture of the area that extends beyond purely nature-based excursions. Depending on your interests, you can combine trails, water, sacred buildings and historical monuments during your stay.

Further Places for Orientation

If you would like to continue planning your trip beyond Sankt Georgen an der Leys, you will find these other places for orientation here: Strohmarkt, Hochreit, Steinakirchen Am Forst, Oberamt, Kienberg Bei Gaming, Gaming, Sankt Anton An Der Jessnitz and Schliefau.

For the overall travel overview: Scheibbs.