The best hikes from bus stations around Maria Schmolln

The history of the charcoal burners in Maria Schmolln and the surrounding region of the Kobernaußerwald is deeply rooted in the local forestry tradition. Before Maria Schmolln rose to become a well-known place of pilgrimage, the region was primarily a rugged, wooded wilderness that served as a livelihood for the people. The charcoal burner trade shaped the town over centuries through the following developments: • The guardians of the Kobernaußerwald: Together with shovel makers and pitch burners, the charcoal burners were among the oldest professional groups in the Kobernaußerwald. They often lived deep in the forest for weeks at a time to produce charcoal from wood through painstaking manual labor. • A hard and lonely profession: The charcoal burners built so-called kilns (Meiler) from tree trunks and a covering of earth and moss. These had to smolder in a controlled manner for days without catching fire. The work was extremely dirty, exhausting, and required enormous knowledge of wood and the weather. • The boom after the First World War: While many old crafts (such as the Kipfenmacher) died out over time, the Schmolln charcoal burner trade experienced a strong resurgence in the years after the First World War. • Saviors during the energy crisis: Due to the lack of coal supplies from abroad after the war, the local charcoal burners were the most important energy suppliers in the region. The charcoal produced in Maria Schmolln was delivered in large quantities to the surrounding factories and hammer mills of the Mattigtal and ensured the survival of many families. Today, the traditional craft of commercial charcoal burning in Maria Schmolln has disappeared, but the memory of the soot-blackened forest workers as pioneers of the region remains firmly anchored in local history and the collective memory of the Kobernaußerwald.

At the Marterl & the information board about the charcoal burners, you can either follow the path to the left, which leads to the village of Maria Schmolln, or you can continue to the right and have the chance to follow the path further through the forest towards the outdoor pool, or you can go right and leave the forest, then you can choose again between following the road to the left or going right and continuing towards Großenaich.

The Roman Catholic pilgrimage church of Maria Schmolln is located in the municipality of Maria Schmolln in the district of Braunau in Upper Austria.

There is a drinking water fountain in front of the church and a public toilet opposite

About 80 hm in the Maria Schmolln pilgrimage route

Wonderful church with beautiful frescoes

Maria Schmolln is a well-known place of pilgrimage that attracts many pilgrims every year. The church was completed and consecrated in 1863, and the Chapel of Mercy was added in 1880. In this is the miraculous image of the Holy Mother of God Mary, to which the origin of the pilgrimage and the place itself goes back.

Nice pilgrimage church