Easy hikes and walks around Pfaffenschlag bei Waidhofen an der Thaya

The nature reserve consists of one-third open high moor, which borders the moor forest overgrown with spruce, pine, and birch. Here you can discover carnivorous plants, hunting spiders, mystical rock formations, and much more.

The Stadtpfarrkirche Heidenreichstein, dedicated to Saint Margaret, is a significant landmark of the town. Its origins date back to the 12th/13th century, incorporating Gothic and Baroque elements over time. Particularly striking is the 42-meter-high church tower from the 18th century. The church houses valuable art treasures such as Baroque altars, a 16th-century monstrance, and an organ that has been renovated several times. Pilgrimages to the "Good Shepherd" are traditionally associated with the parish.

The Heidenreichstein Castle is known as the most beautiful water castle in Austria. Its special feature: it was never destroyed in its centuries-long history. The origin dates back to around 1160 with the construction of the keep. The moated castle remains the permanent residence and administrative seat of the Kinsky family – today it consists of forestry, fish farming, hunting operations, agricultural land, and a castle museum.

Always worth a trip. But if you are looking for peace and quiet, you should rather come by during the week, it can be quite busy on weekends.

The Moor and Peat Museum, which has won national and international awards, is unique in Europe. Among other things, it was awarded a European museum prize in Helsinki in 1991. As a complement to the Heidenreichsteiner Moor nature park, the museum aims to illustrate the formation of moors in Central Europe. The flora and fauna in these areas are presented, as is the economic use and medical importance of peat. Other sections are dedicated to nature conservation, fairy tales and legends relating to moorland landscapes. There is also a replica of a bog body, along with a description of the accidents that can become fatal in the moor.

Since 1987, only museum trains with steam locomotives have occasionally run on the narrow-gauge, 25-kilometer-long railway line between Gmünd and Litschau and its 13-kilometer-long branch line from Altnagelberg to Heidenreichstein. The railway connection was opened on July 3, 1900. Scheduled passenger traffic was discontinued in 1986, and freight traffic in 1992.

Heidenreichstein Castle is partially open to the public. It has been privately owned by the Kinsky family since 1961 and is still inhabited. Guided tours are offered, during which you can also look at some of the rooms inside the castle. The castle, like the whole town, owes its name to one of the first burgraves, who was called Heidenreich. The moated castle, the oldest part of which dates back to the second half of the 12th century, is considered a landmark of the town of 3,800 inhabitants.

Nupsi the field hamster