Schmitzberg: Mining History and Trails

You can plan a trip to Schmitzberg around its mining history and trails: the Schmitzberg-Ampflwang Miners’ Chapel has a specific origin, and the Hausruck Forest Loop passes through Schmitzberg. If you are looking for a hotel, you can first decide whether cultural history or a longer route should be the focus of your stay. Other specific topics include the Ampflwang Locomotive Park and the Ampflwang and Seemoos climbing towers.

The Miners’ Chapel and Mining History

The Schmitzberg-Ampflwang Miners’ Chapel was founded on 7 October 1925 by twelve miners from the Schmitzberg WTK lignite mine, based in Ampflwang. The date of its founding and the number of miners make its origins specific; at the same time, the chapel’s founding connects it to lignite mining in Ampflwang. The werXmusi youth group of the Miners’ Chapel organizes the traditional werXmusi Gschnas every year. If you would like to include the event in your travel plans, check the date for the year you plan to travel.

Ampflwang Locomotive Park

The Ampflwang Locomotive Park – Upper Austrian Railway and Mining Museum is located on the former above-ground site of Wolfsegg-Traunthaler Kohlenwerks AG (WTK). Until the 1990s, lignite mined in the region was loaded there into railway wagons; today, the Locomotive Park presents the history of railways and mining. It houses more than a hundred rail vehicles across 25,000 m², as well as a railway and mining adventure playground for children. The combination of the former loading site and its current presentation as a museum illustrates the site’s transformation.

Routes Connected to Schmitzberg

The Hausruck Forest Loop – Oberbank Long Run runs from the Lukasberg forest track via Schmitzberg and Katzlholz to Innerleiten. It is 23.0 kilometres long and takes 6 hours 30 minutes. These figures provide two different measures for planning your day: the distance indicates the extent of the route, while the duration indicates the stated time required. At 6 hours 30 minutes, you should allow for the tour as a separate block of time. Since route measurements can change, check the details before planning your trip.

Another example is the “Horse and Coal Hike,” announced for 20 October 2019: it ran from Seemoos via Schmitzberg through woodland and meadows, with a lunch break at the Aldiana Club Ampflwang. The two routes have different points of focus: the Hausruck Forest Loop can be assessed by its distance and duration. By contrast, the 2019 hike offers a specific route through woodland and meadows, with a lunch break at the Aldiana Club Ampflwang.

Climbing Towers and Practical Planning

The Ampflwang climbing tower is located at Schmitzberg 16 in Ampflwang im Hausruckwald. At the Seemoos climbing tower, the ticket process works as follows: after purchasing a day ticket online, you will receive a five-digit access code by email. If you buy the day ticket online, keep the message handy to access the tower. The address and ticket process relate to different climbing towers: Schmitzberg 16 identifies the Ampflwang climbing tower, while the email code is for a day ticket to the Seemoos climbing tower.

Discover more destinations: Tiefgraben, Mondsee, Seewalchen am Attersee, Ottnang am Hausruck, Timelkam, Zell am Pettenfirst, Mühlbach, Lenzing.

For the broader travel overview: Vöcklabruck.