Easy hikes and walks around Markt Neuhodis

The modern summit cross stands a short distance from the highest point of the Geschriebenstein, where the popular viewing tower is enthroned instead. It is made of aluminum, firmly anchored to a rock, and can be reached relaxed during a leisurely hike through the nature park. Incidentally, the border between Austria and Hungary runs directly over this historic border point.

At the Geschriebenstein Pass summit in the district of Oberpullendorf, the local chapel serves as a well-known and popular starting point for excursions into nature. Directly after the small house of worship, numerous hiking trails and mountain bike trails begin. In addition, the impressive state memorial of Burgenland, which architecturally also resembles a chapel, is located very close by.

The Geschriebenstein pass height is located at 802 meters above sea level in the Günser Gebirge mountains and connects the towns of Lockenhaus and Rechnitz as a road crossing. At the same time, this crossing serves as a perfect and popular starting point for leisurely hikes and bike tours up to the nearby summit of the Geschriebenstein, which at around 882 to 884 meters represents the highest elevation in Burgenland. Directly on site, the state memorial, designed in 1961, also commemorates the victims of the two world wars.

The Head Trail directly at the summit of the Geschriebenstein is a brilliant entry-level trail for the whole family and all mountain bike fans. While the upper section with some stones and roots is still a bit more technical, from the middle onwards you roll along absolutely relaxed and child-friendly. The route is perfectly suited for warming up on the highest mountain in Burgenland before venturing into more demanding downhill adventures.

The Burgenland Trails parking lot Ranch is considered the central main starting point for the popular mountain bike trails around the Geschriebenstein. There you will find plenty of parking spaces for your car, and the official shuttle for bikers also ends there. From this spot, you can start directly into crisp downhill descents like the Rechnitz Trail or head upwards.

Interesting formation, a spherical stone... Undoubtedly one of the most interesting parts of the nature trail.

The view is somewhat eerie, though. The building itself is in good condition, the shutters are half-down. At first glance, you'd think there was life inside... Then I read that it's "abandoned"... That's quite something...

The small sacred monument we encounter on the Geschriebenstein, in the form of a summit cross, is—besides the view it offers—perhaps also the perfect place for a brief moment of reflection. A few years ago, Christiane Völkel commented on the wonderfully fitting sentence by the Italian poet Francesco Petrarch (who lived in the 14th century), "Everywhere one has heaven above oneself," as follows: "What is the use of prayer? This question moves me (...) I have found for myself the answer and the certainty that when I pray I am with the Lord, or rather, that when I pray he is often noticeably closer to me than usual. Thus, I retain the possibility of pouring out my heart to him (...) This intimacy with him makes me believe in him."