Nordwaldkammweg Tour 3 Haslach - Bad Leonfelden

After visiting the local history museum in the Old Tower in Haslach (Windgasse 10, 4170 Haslach an der Mühl, N 48° 34.604', E 14° 2.341', http://www.haslach-erleben.at/alter-turm), we pass through the textile center Haslach with various cultural institutions and a museum about the regional history of the textile industry. We might get a snack at the market for the day and then turn onto Hörleinsödter Gemeindestraße leading north at the eastern exit of the town, from which we immediately turn right again. Always steeply ascending, we reach the Czech border after just under 1½ hours via Haid and Innenschlag, where unfortunately there are no more accommodations, with a nice view back into the valley. If you walk a few hundred meters north on the trail before crossing the Scheidebach, you get a good impression of the Green Belt. The NWKW finally reaches the AV Helfenberger hut, which lies slightly downhill on the left side of the path. At the parking lot of the Helfenberger hut on Afiesler Bezirksstraße, the main hiking trail 140 leading from Linz to Afiesl joins from the right.

AV Helfenberger Hut

The family-friendly Helfenberger hut (N48°35.273', E14°07.148') belongs to the Alpenverein Rohrbach (http://www.alpenverein.at/rohrbach). The Helfenberger hut is a self-catering hut. Attractions include a bouldering wall, a well, and a large lawn and playground. The hut address is Oberafiesl 18, A-4170 Oberafiesl; for information about the hut and reservations for overnight stays, contact Walter Stütz, tel. +43 650-2524126, email helfenbergerhuette.rohrbach@sektion.alpenverein.at.

Continuing on the Nordwaldkammweg

North of Oberafiesl (altitude 840 m) with its special hotels, including the Aviva (http://www.hotel-aviva.at/) in St. Stefan am Walde where overnight stays for hikers are possible, the NWKW runs eastward past the Stelzer Chapel with views of the Sternwald wind park to the Löffler sawmill before Guglwald. Shortly after the sawmill, we turn sharply left onto the street, cross the bridge of the "Stone Mill," and hike slightly uphill on the street, closely alongside the state border, toward Hotel Guglwald (no sidewalk, caution!). At N48°35.403', E14°10.325' stands the memorial stone "Halber Weg" dedicated by the municipality of Schönegg, located between Dreisesselberg and Nebelstein.

In the hotel area of Guglwald, the French Chapel built between 1802 and 1805 can be seen. The chapel was converted into a memorial for expelled persons and was an annual meeting place for those expelled from the municipalities of Kapellen, Heuraffl, Friedberg, Malsching, Kienberg, and Hohenfurth now scattered across many countries. Today, the French Chapel is a popular place for weddings, conveniently close to all the comforts of a good hotel.

From Hotel Guglwald, we walk about 150 m along the street to the border crossing (connecting path V5 to Predni Vyton or Kaplicki from the old customs house N48° 35.404', E 14° 10.520'), pass it, then descend to the Freibach and ascend to the Iron Curtain Memorial. Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9, 1989, and the subsequent opening of the Iron Curtain, in 1999 part of the barbed wire fortification between Austria and the Czech Republic was reinstated as a memorial. On information boards in a reconstructed shooting range, you can learn about this structure that divided Europe into East and West for decades and was a precursor to many border fences worldwide today.

From the memorial, we follow the path which initially goes downhill to a farm house at the border and then ascends through the forest. Soon we reach the dispersed settlement "Sternwaldhäusel," shortly after the last house on the left side of the path we ascend right on a forest path that leads along the northern flank of Hirschenstein (1,126 m) with the Sternwald Wind Park to the "Rotes Marterl". Here we can switch back to NWKW II (V6). Additionally, one can be convinced that wind turbines are not as bad as their reputation suggests. The Alpenverein Freistadt considers the construction of wind turbines and the connection of underground power lines in their working area to be a sensible addition to photovoltaics, as the energy saving targets seem unreachable.

The path continues past the "Wooden Lord" picture tree and then turns southeast. Where we meet hiking trail no. 24, we turn sharply left. Anyone needing a rest and water before the upcoming ascent can walk 50 meters straight ahead and use the nice "1000m Platzl". After the break, we ascend for about 30 minutes to the viewing tower on the Sternstein (1,125 m, N48° 33.479', E14° 15.316'). From the "Kaiser Franz Joseph Jubilee Tower," built in 1898/99 in front of the municipality of Leonfelden, we have a magnificent panoramic view into the Bohemian Forest to the Schöninger, over the 1,111 m high Viehberg near Sandl to the east and Breitenstein to the south up to Ameisberg to the west. On clear days, from southeast to southwest, the chain of the northern limestone Alps is visible from Schneeberg (the highest mountain in Lower Austria) to the ski area Untersberg near Gutenstein/Lower Austria. The tower is operated by Alpenverein Bad Leonfelden; there are no dining or overnight accommodations available. For safety reasons, it is closed during winter months from November to March.

The long-distance trail no. 09 (Salzsteigjochweg) begins at Sternstein. On the eastern slope of the Sternstein, there are ski runs served by a chair and drag lift. Two hiking cross-country ski trails "Around the Sternstein" complement this ideal winter sports area. From Sternstein descending, we reach the guesthouse "Zur Waldschenke" at Sternstein after about 30 minutes (junction of trail no. 142 from Oberneukirchen via Brennwald, overnight accommodations possible, N 48° 32.824', E 14° 16.317').

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The hike continues downhill through forest patches, on field paths, and over clearings. When exiting the forest, we have a comprehensive view of Bad Leonfelden and its surroundings from the "Lug ins Land". Those who haven't had enough of the day can finish it off in the climbing hall Bad Leonfelden.

Accommodations, details on connecting paths, as well as the history of the Nordwaldkammweg and the region, can be found in the new Nordwaldkammweg guidebook, which is available online via the Pustet Publishing House, in bookstores, at the tourism associations of the Mühl- and Waldviertel, and at several accommodations along the route.

Connecting routes between Nordwaldkammweg and Nordwaldkammweg II:

Connecting route V4A: ÖAV Helfenbergerhütte - Pasecna - Sv. Tomas, 7.4km

Connecting route V5: Guglwald - Predni Vyton, 5.8km

Connecting route V6: Rotes Marterl, 0.4km

Connecting route V7: Sternstein summit - departure (Trail 11), 1.3km

Connecting route V8: Bad Leonfelden - Rading 5.9km