Neukirchen: Forest Trails, Taferlklaussee and Viechtau Culture
Accommodation in Neukirchen
When looking for a hotel in Neukirchen, you can get a sense of the place through three themes: forests and hiking, the landscape around Taferlklaussee, and the history of the Viechtau. The destinations offer different highlights: a forest educational trail focuses on the functions of the forest, the nature reserve and circular trail go hand in hand at the lake, and the church and local heritage museum represent architecture and crafts. This allows you to plan your trip around what interests you most while you’re there.
Forest Trails and Taferlklaussee
The WWW Windlegernweg is a forest educational trail that leads from Neukirchen to Windlegern. It highlights the special features and functions of the forest. The Neukirchen–Almgasthof Windlegern–Neukirchen circular trail is a different route: after a short descent, it leads to the Almgasthof Windlegern. The two trails therefore have different focuses: the educational trail explores the forest, while the circular trail leads to the Almgasthof.
The Taferlklaussee nature reserve in Neukirchen includes a particularly protected high moor and very rare plant species. A well-maintained hiking trail makes it possible to walk around the lake in about half an hour, with the lake constantly in view. If you’re looking for an approximate time frame for a walk, this circuit of the lake is clearly defined. The Windlegernweg, by contrast, focuses on the special features and functions of the forest.
The Echoblasen takes place at Taferlklaussee every year on August 15. Several groups of wind musicians perform melodies, yodels and folk tunes across the lake. The expanse of water shapes this musical tradition. If you’d like to plan your trip around the event, check the date in advance.
Church and Viechtau Local Heritage Museum
The parish church of Neukirchen bei Altmünster is dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows. The simple Baroque church dates from 1754 and has a barrel vault. A barrel vault is a curved ceiling that extends lengthwise. The high altar is a separate art-historical highlight: it originally stood in Vienna’s Minoritenkirche and was installed in Neukirchen around 1780. The church’s construction date and the approximate date when the altar was installed mark two different milestones in the history of the place.
The Viechtau Local Heritage Museum depicts the lives of the local population around a hundred years ago. One of its main focuses is traditional home-based work, especially carving and woodturning. Thus, alongside everyday life at the time, the museum also highlights specific crafts. The museum is located in Rabenwies, a house on a hill above the AltmĂĽnster locality of Neukirchen. It was built in the typical architectural style of the Viechtau. The museum therefore brings together two points of reference: the depiction of life in the past and a building whose style is typical of the Viechtau. Compared with the church, its Baroque architecture and high altar, the focus here is on everyday life, home-based work and regional architecture.
Planning Your Visit
The BergeSeen Trail 01 leads to Neukirchen, which lies at an elevation of 743 m. From the square in front of the church, signs point to the Viechtau Local Heritage Museum and the Windlegernweg. Bus services listed for Neukirchen include route 517 from Gmunden to Neukirchen, route 522 between Gmunden and GroĂźalm, and the Neukirchen b. AltmĂĽnster/Postamt stop. Check the current timetable before setting off. Local trail conditions can change on the circular trail to the Almgasthof Windlegern and on the BergeSeen Trail 01; check them before your hike.
Discover more destinations: Bad Goisern on Lake Hallstatt, Ebensee, Traunkirchen, Bad Ischl, Roitham, RuĂźbach, Obertraun, Gschwandt
Go to the main travel overview: Gmunden.
