Discover Sankt Georgen an der Gusen

Sankt Georgen an der Gusen combines memorial sites with opportunities for hiking, cycling and enjoying nature. When choosing a hotel for your stay, you can focus on the topics that interest you locally: the history of the Gusen concentration camp, trails over the surrounding hills or a natural monument within walking distance of the town centre. The different destinations and routes offer practical starting points for planning your trip.

Memorial Sites and History

On the Gusen Audio Trail, you can listen through headphones to the voices of survivors, contemporary witnesses from the local population, perpetrators and former guards. This art project by Christoph Viscorsum leads from the Gusen Memorial to Sankt Georgen an der Gusen; the round trip is about six kilometres. The voices make different perspectives audible. At the local heritage museum, you can see mementos belonging to prisoners at the Gusen concentration camp, as well as a model of the underground tunnel complex known as “Bergkristall”, which was built by prisoners.

From the beginning of 1944, the DEST built its second-largest underground factory near the town centre under the codename “B8 Bergkristall”, in the strictest secrecy and under murderous working conditions. It was used for the mass production of Messerschmitt jet fighters (Me 262). The memorial trail also recalls this history and is marked with monuments. The Path of Human Rights ends at the House of Remembrance and the “Bergkristall” concentration camp memorial site in Sankt Georgen an der Gusen.

Hiking Trails and Route Options

The Legends Trail is ten kilometres long, with an ascent of 180 metres. The shorter of the two permanent IVV hiking trails is also ten kilometres long. It runs over the hills surrounding Sankt Georgen and loops around the town. The local beautification and hiking association has offered the two IVV trails since 2008. This gives you two routes of equal length to choose from, with different additional details: the ascent is specified for the Legends Trail, while the shorter IVV route is defined by its course over the hills.

The Danube Heights Circular Hiking Trail passes through Sankt Georgen an der Gusen and continues via Frankenberg and Kruckenberg to Mauthausen. This allows you to include a route with named locations along the wider trail in your plans. You can use the route length and the described course as different points of reference when making your choice.

Nature, Cycling and Leisure

Weingraben is a natural monument and wetland habitat in a disused quarry, about a 30-minute walk from the town centre. The Danube Cycle Path from Passau via Linz to Hainburg passes by Sankt Georgen an der Gusen. So, alongside the hiking trails, you will find a natural attraction and a cycling route that runs through this region.

Aquarella has a 25-metre swimming pool with direct access to the “Fun Pool”. The farmers’ market offers regional and seasonal products from local producers. These include meat, bread, doughnuts and pastries, as well as fruit, vegetables, cheese, honey, jams, eggs and pasta. If you plan to visit the market on a particular day of your trip, check the dates in advance.

Getting There and Finding Your Way

A free park-and-ride facility with access to the public transport network is located right next to the ÖBB stop in Sankt Georgen an der Gusen. This practical detail may be helpful when planning your journey there and onward travel. Depending on whether memorial sites, hikes, nature or leisure activities are your priority, you can tailor your stay accordingly and then look for a hotel at your destination.

Discover more destinations: Sankt Thomas am Blasenstein, Saxen, Klam, Windhaag bei Perg, Grein an der Donau, Ried in der Riedmark, Pabneukirchen, Waldhausen im Strudengau.

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