Discover Gresten

Gresten lies in the Kleine Erlauf valley and along the Eisenstraße. Culture, cycling and hiking offer different reasons to include the town in your travel plans; there is also a public sauna oasis. If you are looking for a hotel in Gresten, your planned focus can help guide your choice: Schloss Stiebar and the parish church offer different points of interest from a cycling tour, a hiking trail or the climbing garden on Schwarzenberg. The following information about the town and its activities can help you plan your stay around your interests.

Culture and architectural history

Schloss Stiebar’s late Gothic chapel is its oldest structure; it was first mentioned in 1301. The parish church of St Nicholas is a late Gothic hall church with a projecting west tower and was completed in 1489. The dates provide different historical reference points: the chapel’s date refers to its first mention, while the church’s refers to its completion. This makes it possible to place the information in chronological context without treating the two buildings as one and the same.

Since its opening in October 1996, the Kulturschmiede has served as a multifunctional event venue with a dining area. Some preserved exhibits from the Gartlmühle are on display there. Alongside the historic buildings, it is a cultural venue with a different use, bringing together event space and exhibits.

Cycling and hiking trails

The “Kleines und großes Erlauftal” cycling tour branches off the main Erlauftal cycle path onto the Kleine Erlauftal cycle path shortly after Gaming, then continues via Brettl to Gresten. There is also a cycle path section about 290 metres long. It starts at the Gresten municipal depot, loops around the substation and leads to the existing footbridge over the Kleine Erlauf. These descriptions cover different scales: for the named tour, the focus is on the turn-off shortly after Gaming and the continuation via Brettl to Gresten; for the section, the length, starting point, route and endpoint are specified. When planning your route, you can therefore choose whether to follow the tour or use this individual section as your guide.

Gresten is also at the intersection of many hiking trails, ranging from walking paths to long-distance routes. You can start by considering these different types of trail and plan your hike accordingly.

Climbing and sauna

The climbing garden on Schwarzenberg lies above Gresten at an elevation of 950 metres and has 19 climbing routes in two sectors. It is 6 kilometres from the town centre; the approach from the car park takes around 25 minutes. The distance and approach time refer to different starting points: the 6 kilometres indicate the climbing garden’s distance from the town centre, while the approximately 25 minutes describe the approach from the car park. This gives you both a distance and an approximate time to help with planning.

The public Gresten sauna oasis complements the trails and climbing garden with a different leisure option. Its facilities include a Finnish sauna for 20 people, a combined bio or infrared sauna, a steam bath, a heated mosaic-tiled bench, a seating alcove and a spacious outdoor area. It is therefore a separate focus for planning your stay, alongside cycling, hiking and climbing.

Discover more destinations: Steinakirchen am Forst, Schliefau, Göstling an der Ybbs, Reinsberg, Wieselburg, Oberamt, Gaming, Lunz am See

Back to the main travel overview: Scheibbs.