The best family-friendly hikes and walks around Hochburg-Ach

Approximately two kilometers south of Maria Ach, in the middle of the forest, lies the "Heilbründl", one of two Brünnl chapels in Hochburg-Ach. Directly below the chapel, a contained spring emerges. Inside the chapel, there is a statue of the Virgin Mary from 1963. According to legend, the robber knight Meier Helmbrecht, after being "blinded" (which means his eyes were burned out), came here to alleviate his pain.

The small Marienkapelle, which houses a spring that is said to heal eye ailments, was built on a wooded slope above the Salzach. The Via Nova pilgrimage route leads almost directly past the church, which is well worth seeing and is located directly opposite Raitenhaslach Monastery. There are several benches around the chapel, inviting you to take a rest.

The current structure, a steel and concrete bridge, was inaugurated in 1963 – three years after the "New Bridge" further upstream. Locals still refer to it as the "Old Bridge," as it was first mentioned in 1272 and had several predecessors, which were completely or partially destroyed at least 12 times by floods and 6 times by ice jams. In 1809, Austrian troops rendered the bridge unusable to hinder Napoleon I Bonaparte's advance to Vienna. During a minor flood in 1959, a work platform that broke loose from the "New Bridge" severely damaged the "Old Bridge," before the major flood of the same year destroyed the temporary bridge that had been erected at short notice; for a time, there was no permanent crossing of the Salzach River near Burghausen, only a ferry service. This flood – with a maximum water level of 8.14 meters, one of Burghausen's worst – was the catalyst for the construction of the flood protection wall.

The border between Germany and Austria is in the middle of the Salzach

The Holy Spirit Hospital, with its Holy Spirit Church, is a former hospital in the old town of Burghausen. It now serves as a church meeting center and a BRK retirement home. Between 1319 and 1332, Friedrich der Mautner and his brother-in-law Konrad Ermreich founded a hospital building with a church and cemetery outside the city gates for the sick and needy. The hospital existed here until 1956 and was replaced by a new building on the banks of the Salzach River. Afterward, the building served as an episcopal seminary and, since 1993, as the church meeting center "Haus der Begegnung Heilig Geist" (House of Encounter Holy Spirit).

"In den Grüben," with its colorful, mostly late-Gothic artisan houses, is largely a pedestrian zone. The street, which leads into the town square, is not only a popular meeting place but also a lively area for restaurants, arts, crafts, and shopping. Burghausen has hosted the International Jazz Week since 1970. To mark its thirtieth anniversary in 1999, decorative stones were set into the street's pavement in honor of the artists: the city's "Street of Fame." Jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Chris Barber, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, and Till Brönner have all performed in Burghausen. The stones bear the names, signatures, and dates of birth and death of the artists.

The historic town square is one of the most beautiful in Central Europe. Magnificent buildings preserve the flair of centuries past. The town square impresses not only with its picturesque architecture but also with a unique atmosphere that combines tradition and modernity.

A bridge over the Salzach at this location was first mentioned in 1272. Even after that, salt from Hallein continued to be transported here by boat, but was only permitted to be landed and paid customs duties in Burghausen. The salt toll made the town and the Wittelsbach dynasty, who ruled here, wealthy in the late Middle Ages. The Old Bridge connected Burghausen with Hochburg-Ach, which belonged to the town, on the opposite bank. Only after the Innviertel region—all areas east of the Salzach and Inn rivers—was ceded to Austria in 1779 following the War of the Bavarian Succession did Hochburg-Ach develop its independence. Following devastating floods in 1959, the Old Bridge was rebuilt and opened to traffic on August 23, 1963. It was extensively renovated in 2000 and 2025.