Easy hikes and walks around Walpersbach

The Leithaursprung in the municipality of Lanzenkirchen is formed directly by the confluence of the two rivers Schwarza and Pitten. An informative nature trail leads around this idyllic spot, providing walkers with exciting insights into the regional flora. Thanks to cozy spots by the water and exciting legends about the area, the place is a really cool spot for a short break in nature.

This historical gem in Haderswörth was built in 1840 by Martin Zöckl and is considered a true landmark of the cadastral community. Later, in 1992, the building was rebuilt by local residents and also masterfully renovated a few years ago. Today, the charming structure shapes the local scenery so strongly that it is even immortalized in the logo of the local village renewal association.

The depicted Marienkapelle (Chapel of Mary) at the intersection of Wechselgasse/Schulgasse in Lanzenkirchen is a protected small monument (chapel wayside shrine) with a centrally placed statuette of Saint Mary behind a wrought-iron gate. The dates on the facade refer to the original construction year of 1886 and the comprehensive renovation in 1998. As a historical religious wayside monument, the yellow-painted broad pillar chapel shapes the local townscape and serves as a place of reflection for walkers and believers alike.

The parish church of St. Nicholas was built around 1220 and has been rebuilt several times. The Roman Catholic parish church of St. Nicholas in Lanzenkirchen is a fundamentally Romanesque hall church with a striking late Gothic choir, dedicated to Saint Nicholas of Myra. Over the centuries – particularly after damage sustained during the Turkish wars – the church building was redesigned, baroquized, and extended multiple times. Today, the historic house of worship is a listed monument and forms the widely visible religious and architectural center of the market town.

This venerable locomotive stands right next to Bad Erlach station. As a narrow-gauge locomotive, it can no longer run here, even as a museum railway, but it is a beautiful piece of railway history.

Lately, on my tours, I keep stumbling across memorials to the last World War. Here I learned that our former Federal President Kirchschläger also played a rather inglorious role in the German Wehrmacht.

Like many other places, Bad Erlach is suffering from the relocation of businesses from the center; some former pubs are empty, as are many magnificent buildings belonging to companies.

A nice bridge over the Pitten, which later forms the Leitha together with the Schwarza. At the moment, however, there is once again no water in the Schwarza, which means that only the water from the Pitten feeds the Leitha, as can be clearly seen a few hundred meters further on.