Perg: Discover millstone heritage and culture
Accommodation in Perg
Millstones, archaeological finds and a riverside swimming area give Perg a varied cultural and natural character. The history of stoneworking is more than just a museum topic here: since the Middle Ages, Perg’s millstone cutters have been renowned well beyond the region. At their peak, up to 2,000 millstones were quarried and sold throughout the monarchy and beyond. Museums, hiking trails and other cultural sites each offer their own focus for planning your trip.
Millstone heritage and museums in Perg
The Heimathaus-Stadtmuseum Perg explores the history of Perg and its surroundings. Key topics include the stone and millstone industry, excavations at the Auhof burial ground dating from the 8th to 10th centuries, and finds from Mitterberg Castle. Since 2004, the permanent exhibition “Kätes Puppenwelt” (Käte’s Doll World), featuring more than 400 exhibits, has also been part of the museum.
The MĂĽhlsteinmuseum Steinbrecherhaus focuses on the work of the stonecutters. Images, stone objects and tools illustrate their trade. Built in 1802, the Steinbrecherhaus comprises a living room, a bedroom and a smoke kitchen, all open to visitors. The Scherer millstone quarry is an open-air museum run by the town museum on the site of a disused sandstone quarry.
The sandstone itself has a much older story: the sand was deposited during the Tertiary period, 30 to 40 million years ago, on the shore of a sea in what is now the Machland plain. At the millstone museum, the history of the craft thus meets the far older origins of the material.
The Pharmacy Museum in Pragstein Castle offers a different perspective. It presents the history of Austrian pharmacy and the practical work of pharmacists in the laboratory. Its core collection comes from the Aichberger family of pharmacists and, in particular, traces the development of small rural pharmacies.
Nature, water and trails
The “PERGER Nature Experience Areas” link ecologically valuable habitats and vegetation suited to the local conditions along a circular trail. If you would rather spend time by the water, Waldbad Perg offers a riverside swimming area with a sunbathing lawn, ideal for relaxing in summer. The facilities also include a beach volleyball court, an asphalt curling lane and a Kneipp facility.
For hikers, the described Donausteig stages differ mainly in their routes and endpoints. Stage 4_G03 runs from Mauthausen through the cultivated Machland plain and across the panoramic Mühlviertel hills to Perg, at the northern edge of the Machland. Stage 4_G04 starts at the “Perg” Donausteig trailhead in the northeastern part of the main square and ends at the “Mitterkirchen” trailhead at the north end of the sports ground, near the eastern edge of town. A cycling trip from Perg to Grein uses the “Keltendorf” open-air museum in Mitterkirchen as a rest stop and a chance to step back in time.
Perg is an important transport hub for the district. Railways, a federal highway and a bypass connect it from west to east. For specific train connections, check the current timetable.
An overview of the landscape and cultural attractions
In Perg District, the landscape stretches from the deeply dissected mountains and hills in the north, through mid-altitude areas with enclosed basins such as the Klam Basin, to the Danube plains. Along the eastern district boundary and beyond as far as Ybbs, the Danube forms the Strudengau: a 25-kilometre-long gorge valley between steep, densely forested slopes and the river. The Stillenstein Gorge and other narrow breakthrough valleys are also among the valleys carved by rivers and streams into the foothills of the granite massif.
Wolfsschlucht is a gorge-like ravine cut into ancient bedrock at the foot of Kreuzen Castle. Waterfalls, rock formations, block castles, botanical and wildlife features, and natural gorge forests define the area. Since 1997, it has been a nature and cultural hiking trail; information boards explain the bathing facilities of the former Bad Kreuzen cold-water spa.
Historic sites offer a variety of highlights, too. The former Baumgartenberg collegiate church combines Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements. Construction began in 1142, and the church was given a Baroque makeover in the 17th century. Guided tours are available; check current options in advance. Clam Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1128, was owned by the Lords of Machland around 1149, and has been in the possession of the Counts of Clam-Martinic family since 1454. Tours of the castle include, among other features, the armoury, a Gothic chapel dating from 1491 and a porcelain collection.
The Mitterkirchen Celtic Village opened in 1991 near the site of an earlier excavation of a Hallstatt-period burial ground and currently has 20 buildings. Supervised activities in pottery, flatbread baking, weaving, spinning, log-cabin building, metalworking and bow making are aimed primarily at school groups. Since 2011, the “Prunkwagen und Hirsebrei” (Ceremonial Chariots and Millet Porridge) experimental archaeology days have been held regularly, with experimental archaeologists living in the Celtic Village. Check the dates for your planned visit.
The Mauthausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site provides information about its exhibitions and memorials at former satellite camps in the Mauthausen concentration camp system. A free audio guide app for Android and iOS is available in twelve languages. As app availability and language options may change, check this information in advance.
More destinations
Discover more destinations: Mitterkirchen im Machland, Klam, Baumgartenberg, Ried in der Riedmark, Langenstein, Luftenberg an der Donau, Windhaag bei Perg, Rechberg, Katsdorf, Perg, Dimbach, Sankt Thomas am Blasenstein, Allerheiligen im MĂĽhlkreis, Schwertberg, StraĂź, Mauthausen, Grein an der Donau, Henndorf, Waldhausen im Strudengau, Bad Kreuzen, Naarn im Machlande, Sankt Georgen an der Gusen, Sankt Nikola an der Donau, Sankt Georgen am Walde, Saxen, Wansch, MĂĽnzbach, Arbing, Pabneukirchen.
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