Pürgg-Trautenfels: Castle History, Trails and Landscape

Those who choose Pürgg-Trautenfels as a holiday destination can combine culture, landscape and outdoor activities. Trautenfels Castle stands on a rocky promontory at the foot of the Grimming and combines a varied history with several ways to explore the surrounding area on foot, by bicycle or on the water. This allows you to plan your stay at your preferred pace: with a museum visit, a short contemplative walk or a longer hike.

Trautenfels Castle and the History of the Region

Trautenfels Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1261, when it was still known as Neuhaus Castle. In 1664, Count Siegmund Friedrich von Trauttmansdorff purchased the castle, had it remodelled and refurnished, and gave it the name Trautenfels. Those interested in the development of the region will find a focused introduction to this subject at the Landscape Museum: across 13 rooms, it presents the cultural and natural history of the Liezen district.

The architectural surroundings also tell stories of earlier times. The Neuhaus church ruins were built in 1575 as a Protestant church near Trautenfels and destroyed in 1599 during the Counter-Reformation. Today, the foundations of the former church are a memorial site that opened in 1992. Alongside a visit to the museum, this provides another cultural focus in which historical traces are directly connected with a walk through the landscape.

Short Walks, Observation Tower and Longer Tours

A special part of visiting the castle is the observation tower. It can be reached via 142 steps and is 30 metres high in total.

A short, contemplative walking trail of around 10 minutes leads from Trautenfels Castle to the memorial site at the Neuhaus church ruins. Another route description identifies the Bible Hiking Trail as the final section of a walk of approximately 15 minutes from the car park behind Trautenfels Castle to the church ruins. These two descriptions can be understood as different options for a short excursion. For a longer hike, the “Tressenstein from Trautenfels Castle” tour starts at the castle car park and reaches the Grimminghütte after approximately one hour.

There are also various options for active days. The KulturNaturGenuss circular trail passes by the castle ponds. Trautenfels Castle is also located along the Enns Cycle Path and offers a place to stop and relax. Those who prefer to travel on the water can find flowing water for paddling along the section of the Enns between Niederstuttern and Trautenfels.

The Right Accommodation for Your Travel Plans

When looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home in Pürgg-Trautenfels, it is worth defining your personal priorities first. If castle history, the museum and the short trails to the church ruins are your main focus, you can take the planned starting points for your excursions into account when choosing a location. For hiking or cycling days, however, the respective starting points of the tours play a greater role.

You can also include your journey in your planning: from Stainach-Irdning railway station, RegioBus routes 940 or 941 run to the Trautenfels Schloss stop. From there, it is a five-minute walk to the museum. When choosing your accommodation and planning your days, this allows you to weigh up whether to reach individual destinations by bus and train, from the car park or via a cycling or paddling route.

Compare More Destinations

If you would like to compare other places for your holiday planning in addition to Pürgg-Trautenfels, here is a concise selection: Großreifling, Geiergraben, Michaelerberg, St. Leonard, Stainach, Tipschern, Bad Mitterndorf and Niederöblarn.

To the higher-level travel overview: Liezen.