Discover Bad Leonfelden
Accommodation in Bad Leonfelden
Destinations range from hiking trails and viewpoints to local history, archaeological finds and crafts. Those who want to spend time outdoors will find different options from travelers interested in historic buildings, local craft traditions or museum programs.
Watershed, hiking trails and the Sternstein
The European Watershed is a round granite slab that was once used as a well stone. It marks a geological divide: the Rodl flows into the Danube and onward to the Black Sea; the Granitzbach drains into the Vltava, from there into the Elbe and eventually into the North Sea. The slab thus provides a tangible connection to two different river courses and their routes to the sea.
The “Salt Road” is a hiking trail from Bad Leonfelden via the European Watershed and the Rading border crossing to Hohenfurth. The Schwedenschanze fortification on the border with Czechia can also be reached via the old “Salt Road” trading route from Bad Leonfelden to Hohenfurth. It is a remnant of the Thirty Years’ War in the 17th century. This route therefore brings together a modern hiking trail and a history of historic borders and trade.
The Sternsteinwarte lookout tower stands on the 1,125 m-high Sternstein and opened on October 20, 1899. Climbing to the top of the tower offers panoramic views across the MĂĽhlviertel. The 1,000-m-Platzl, a viewpoint, is also located along the Sternstein circular trail. The Sternstein therefore offers both views from the tower and a named viewpoint along the circular trail.
The Moorwald adventure trail in Bad Leonfelden offers playful insights into forest and moor habitats and the moor forest ecosystem. It focuses on natural connections, rather than views from the Sternstein. In winter, a dedicated ascent track is available at the Sternstein for ski tourers and piste skiers. As winter operations and route conditions vary seasonally, check both before you travel.
Local history, archaeology and crafts
The stone column with the “Iron Hand” is 2 m high and 25 cm wide. It probably marks a fork in the road on the old Salt Road. On market days, the attached “Iron Hand” indicated the royal chartered right to hold annual fairs (“stacking rights”) and also drew attention to the “harsher” jurisdiction in force at the time. The column thus represents both a possible interpretation as a waymarker and historic market and judicial rules.
The town walk is a circular route with 20 stops that introduces visitors to the character and history of the spa town of Bad Leonfelden. It starts at the Stadtplatz Bad Leonfelden bus stop near Hole CityStore and ends at Stadtplatz Bad Leonfelden. This offers a different way to explore local history than a single building or viewpoint: the stops form part of a circular route.
The Upper Austrian School Museum is housed in a former school building, built in 1577 as the “DOMUS DISCIPLINAE” and used as a school until 1850. The visitor program includes a “Historic School Lesson” featuring a “schoolmaster” in original period clothing. The building and program offer different historical connections: the house’s long history as a school and a staged school lesson.
Structural remains and production waste from medieval and early modern glassworks have been excavated at the Sternstein in Bad Leonfelden. The archaeological glass furnace excavation site is near the Sternstein loop and can be reached via the Via-Leone hiking trails. This makes it possible to combine an archaeological site with a hiking route, while the finds themselves point to the area’s former glass production.
Guided tours at the Lebzeltarium are available only by prior registration and for groups of at least five people. If you plan such a tour, take both conditions into account and arrange the date in advance.
Handblaudruck Wagner is one of the last two hand block-printing workshops in Austria. The workshop displays a large collection of pattern models; visitors are welcomed by prior phone appointment. This craft experience differs from a museum visit: the focus is on the patterns and a visit to the workshop, which requires arranging an appointment by phone in advance.
Discover more destinations: Engerwitzdorf, Puchenau, Feldkirchen an der Donau, Kirchschlag bei Linz, Zwettl an der Rodl, Sonnberg im MĂĽhlkreis, Altenberg bei Linz, Reichenau im MĂĽhlkreis
Return to the regional travel overview: Urfahr-Umgebung.
