Bad Schönau: Hiking, Fortified Church and Sconarium

Bad Schönau lies in a gentle hilly landscape and combines varied hiking experiences with impressive history and special insights into the local mineral water therapies. Those planning a trip can choose between scenic circular hikes, quiet walking paths, historic buildings and cultural offerings. This combination makes Bad Schönau an interesting destination for anyone wishing to combine nature and discovery.

Hiking Trails for Different Day Plans

The “Bad Schönau Trail of Views” is an easy circular hiking trail with a length of 5.99 km. It begins at Bad Schönau Spa Park and ends there again. Several information boards with short texts and quotations encourage hikers to pause and reflect along the way. Anyone looking for a manageable loop with a special thematic focus will find a specific option here for their day’s plans.

The Hutwisch circular hike follows well-marked hiking trails to Hutwisch and back. From a viewing platform, a 360° panorama opens up across Schneeberg, Rax and Wechsel. In the other direction, the view extends as far as Lake Neusiedl, Hungary and beyond Southern Burgenland. The path through the Tiefenbach Valley offers a different landscape experience: it follows the Tiefenbach Au from Bad Schönau towards Krumbach along a shady walking path with little traffic. Depending on the desired pace for the day, you can therefore choose between panoramic views and a quieter section of trail.

Fortified Church and Architectural History

Bad Schönau’s fortified church was secured by a triple defensive wall system, which also incorporated the rectory. The rectory was built around 1320 as a fortified residential tower, or castle, on a middle terrace. Its eastern section features a Renaissance façade from the 16th century. The ensemble therefore offers several historical points of interest that can be viewed together during a visit to the town.

St. Mary’s Church was completed in the summer of 1968 after the older fortified church had become too small. Its stained-glass windows were replaced in September 1995 with new windows from the artistic glass workshop of Schlierbach Abbey. Free guided tours of the fortified church are offered on Fridays at 4 p.m. The entrance hall is open all day; a key for the main room can be borrowed from the municipal office. This information will help you incorporate a cultural stop into your plans at the right point.

Sconarium, Mineral Water Therapies and Devil’s Mill

The Sconarium includes a cultural hall used for concerts, cabaret and performances. It also features a modern, interactive exhibition on natural carbon dioxide gas as a local healing remedy. The mineral water therapies offered in Bad Schönau include baths, walking training and drinking cures. Those interested in the history and special treatments of the area can include these topics in their travel itinerary without focusing their stay exclusively on hiking.

Another special attraction is the Devil’s Mill. It was built in 1977 at Hohen Stein by Josef Kager, the senior farmer of the Stroblhof, and renovated in 2012 by the “Schön & Aktiv” association. From Gasthof Koder, it can be reached on foot through the spa park and past the tennis courts. Together with the historic churches and the Sconarium, it creates a diverse picture of Bad Schönau.

Getting There and Choosing a Holiday Apartment

Traveling to Bad Schönau by public transport involves taking the Südbahn railway to Wiener Neustadt, continuing on the Aspangbahn to Edlitz-Grimmenstein railway station and then taking the bus to Bad Schönau. When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday house, you can consider which experiences should be the focus of your stay: hiking trails and panoramic views, historic buildings, cultural events or mineral water therapies.

More Destinations for Trip Planning

For further trip planning, you can also visit Klingfurth, Lanzenkirchen, Markt Piesting, Loipersdorf, Weikersdorf am Steinfelde, Hochneukirchen, Winzendorf and Sollenau.

Return to the overarching travel overview: Wiener Neustadt.