Freilassing: Railway History, Culture and the Saalach Floodplain
Accommodation in Freilassing
Freilassing combines local history and railway culture with a location on the outskirts of Salzburg, amid the mountain scenery of Upper Bavaria. If you want to choose between exhibitions, industrial heritage, cycling and a weekly market during your stay, you’ll find a variety of options here. Which ones interest you most may also influence your choice of a holiday apartment in Freilassing.
Die Saalach-Brücke verbindet Salzburg mit Freilassing und markiert die deutsch-österreichische Grenze.
Photo: Eweht via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Discover Local History and Art
The topics at the Freilassing Town Museum are divided among five departments: prehistory and early history, the town’s development, Freilassing as a border town, railways and the economy. The museum’s perspective ranges from early settlement to the town’s development and the areas that shaped Freilassing as a border and railway town. One special feature is a display grave containing a young Bavarian woman who lived here about 1,500 years ago. It brings early history to life through a specific example.
In addition to its permanent themes, the association that runs the museum holds three special exhibitions each year on a range of subjects. In 1998, the association received the City of Freilassing’s Cultural Promotion Award. The changing themes offer a different perspective on local history from the five permanent departments.
The Freilassing Municipal Gallery presents various exhibitions by regional artists throughout the year. It is located on the ground floor of the Old Fire Station on Hermann-Ober-Platz. St Mary’s Church is home to a distinctive artistic treasure: its early Neoclassical high altar is made of multicoloured Untersberg marble and was created in 1775/76 to a design by Wolfgang Hagenauer. If you’re interested in regional art or church art, you can take these different aspects into account when planning your stay.
Freilassing and Its Railway History
Railways are not just one of the topics at the town museum. Lokwelt Freilassing explores 150 years of railway history and includes a lovingly restored roundhouse. Built between 1902 and 1905, it is an important monument to industrial history. At Lokwelt, a historic building and the longer history of the railway come together.
Freilassing’s beginnings as a railway station are also part of this story: in 1860, the construction of the Munich–Salzburg railway line made the town a station on an important European transport route on the border with the Austrian Empire. If you’re interested in the town’s development, you can explore the subject at the town museum, at Lokwelt and through the history of the railway station.
Cycling, Climbing and the Saalach
The easy Freilassing cycling loop starts at the railway station, leads into town, includes Freilassing Lokwelt and runs partly along the Saalach. The loop then returns to Freilassing station. Its route brings together urban areas, railway history and riverside sections in one circuit. If cycling is part of your travel plans, you can include this loop as a separate activity.
The Badylon sports and leisure centre offers another activity: outdoors, there is a covered climbing wall run by the German Alpine Club, with a wall height of up to nine metres. This provides a specific alternative to visiting museums and exhibitions when planning your day; the details about the wall and its height help you get a sense of what’s on offer.
The Saalach floodplain is also close to Freilassing. This green corridor along the border river Saalach is about seven kilometres long and lies on the outskirts of the town. Together with the cycling loop, which runs partly along the Saalach, the floodplain makes the river an important part of the landscape around Freilassing. The Saalach floodplain and the loop are two distinct features: one is the green corridor nearby, the other the described route that starts and ends at the railway station.
Visiting the Market and Choosing Where to Stay
The weekly market, also known as the Grünmarkt, is held every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Hauptstraße, in the pedestrian zone. If you’d like to plan a market visit, the two days of the week and the stated morning hours provide a useful point of reference.
When choosing your holiday apartment, consider which aspects of Freilassing you want to shape your stay: the town museum, municipal gallery and St Mary’s Church offer different cultural experiences, while Lokwelt focuses specifically on railway history. The cycling loop, climbing wall and Saalach floodplain add exercise and scenery to the mix. Freilassing is also right on the outskirts of Salzburg, a trade fair city and a world city of culture.
More places to discover: Saaldorf-Surheim, Bad Reichenhall, Bayerisch Gmain, Berchtesgaden, Bischofswiesen, Ainring, Marktschellenberg and Ramsau near Berchtesgaden.
For the broader travel overview: Berchtesgadener Land.
