Castle Trail - south route

On more than 215 kilometers of marked trails, the Castle Trail invites you to explore the former centers of the aristocratic culture of the Mühlviertel and South Bohemia. The foot trip from Grein to Velešín takes the guests into a past in which this region was cleared and settled. The long-distance hiking trail connects the historical cultural areas of the Danube and the Maltsch. A total of 19 castles and ruins are waiting to be discovered.

The long-distance hike gives an overall view of how fortified and magnificent buildings change over the course of history. You will find completely intact, still inhabited and used castles (such as Greinburg, Clam, Tannbach, Weinberg, Freistadt), well restored castle ruins (Kreuzen, Reichenstein, Prandegg, Ruttenstein, Pořešín, Tichá) and misunderstood buildings (e.g. Zellhof). With the Saxenegg ruins, nature even creates an untouched allegory of impermanence with its own aesthetic dignity. The regional history becomes vividly alive in the seven lovingly designed castle museums: Greinburg, Clam, Prandegg, Altenburg / Windhaag, Reichenstein, Freistadt and Pořešín.

For long-distance hikers, the entire route via the north route (163 km), the south route (182 km) or the circular route (85 km) is recommended. In addition, a number of day trips were developed (see www.buschweg.at).

A free, 120-page hiking guide (available also in EN) with historical background knowledge, restaurant directory and route recommendations can be ordered from the Association Mühlviertler Alm (office@muehlviertleralm.at, +43 (0) 5/07263 or +43 (0 ) 7956/7304); Postagecosts will be charged.

A special highlight: there is a trilingual audio guide for each castle, which can be downloaded free of charge using a mobile app. A herald guides them through the total playing time of over 3.5 hours. The guide also has a GPS map function that keeps even less experienced hikers on the way.