Discover Schenkenfelden

Schenkenfelden combines varied hiking experiences with surprising insights into cultural history. Families can explore the fairytale trails, while visitors interested in culture can discover a historic fortepiano, a general store and an old post office. Those choosing a holiday apartment or holiday home for their stay can therefore plan their days exactly according to their preferred interests: with exercise in the forest landscape, small discoveries in the village or a combination of both.

Hiking trails between forests, highlands and the watershed

For orientation, you can obtain the Mühlviertler Sterngartl hiking map free of charge during citizen service hours at the Schenkenfelden municipal office. The hiking trails around Schenkenfelden are marked in coordination with the neighbouring municipalities. This allows you to plan each day according to your personal interests without having to commit to a single trail idea.

The Enchanted Forest hiking trail is an approximately 2 km-long forest path with 13 groups of figures carved from wood. A turn-off leads to the summit cross on the Hirtstein. The fairytale hiking trail also features a storybook landscape: the comfortable circular route leads through a varied forest landscape and displays 11 groups of fairytale characters carved from wood, with more than 40 figures. There are playgrounds at the beginning and end, and the trail also includes a fairytale pond. Those travelling with children can combine a hike with clearly visible stops and opportunities for breaks here.

The European watershed between Kettenbach and Grasbach provides a distinctive point of reference in the landscape. The Kettenbach flows northwards into the Vltava, while the Grasbach is a headwater stream of the Große Gusen in the Danube catchment area, which flows southwards. The water therefore flows north to the North Sea and south to the Black Sea. At the highest point of the Thierberg, a cross anchored with ropes stands on the Hirtstein. For your travel planning, this creates an interesting combination of forest trails, a viewpoint and a geographical feature.

History and culture in the village

Schenkenfelden can also be discovered through individual memorial sites and historical objects. The Peasants' War Chapel commemorates a military encounter between imperial troops and local farmers on 30 August 1626. Approximately 300 farmers lost their lives in this encounter at the time. The chapel gives a walk through the village's history a tangible point of reference and makes an event from the 17th century visible.

The Gerstlhaus Grocery Museum preserves a general store from the early 19th century and a k.u.k. post office from 1869. The Biedermeier room in the Gerstlhaus also contains a fortepiano made by Anton Walter in 1814. Those wishing to combine historical everyday culture with music history will find various points of interest here. The Anton Schiesser memorial plaque marks the birthplace and parental home of the k.u.k. Field Marshal Lieutenant Anton Schiesser, Edler von Reifegg.

The Harrucker Monument stands at the market square at the beginning of Harruckerstraße. The bust is located on a small square and invites visitors to linger. It therefore complements the larger hiking and museum destinations with a short, independent stop in the village.

Choose the right starting point for your trip

If your main priority is hiking, you can make the various trail options and marked hiking trails the focus of your planning. The Nordwaldkammweg leads to Schenkenfelden, as do the European long-distance hiking trail and the Stern Gartl Weg. For a stay with children, the fairytale hiking trail offers a different way to spend the day than a cultural and historical visit to the Gerstlhaus. Accommodation in Schenkenfelden is therefore particularly well suited to your plans if you would like to combine nature experiences, local history and flexible days on holiday. When choosing your holiday apartment or holiday home, consider which of these priorities should define your trip.

Compare other destinations

If you would like to compare other travel destinations in addition to Schenkenfelden, you can also find Puchenau, Reichenau Im Mühlkreis, Reichenthal, Goldwörth, Lichtenberg, Kirchschlag Bei Linz, Eidenberg and Feldkirchen An Der Donau here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Urfahr-Umgebung.