Nordwaldkammweg Tour 4 Bad Leonfelden - Freistadt

We leave Bad Leonfelden at the southeastern town exit near the climbing hall (N48° 31.188’, E14° 18.314’) north of the junction of hiking trail no. 160 (Linz — St. Magdalena via Hellmonsödt) and follow Hagauerstrasse to Aumühle in the valley of the Große Rodl. Shortly after the bridge, we turn left and hike uphill through Bannholz to Schenkenfelden (735m). On the left at the town entrance, a memorial plaque on a farmhouse commemorates Baron Georg von Harrucker, the master of ordnance of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663 – 1736), one of the most significant military leaders and statesmen of Austrian history in the Habsburg era.

On the road to Reichenthal, we reach the Way of the Cross, which we follow to the Calvary chapel on the slope of the Thierberg. The chapel in the cemetery is especially noteworthy: it was built by Georg von Harrucker, with Johann Michael Prunner from Linz as the master builder. Look at the baroque interior, the crucifixion group, the small alabaster sculptures in glass cases, the sorrowful Virgin Mary, and Christ at the pillar of torture! A round around the church shows baroque chapels.

From the cemetery, the path gently ascends past herb fields to the Thierberg. On the northwest slope, we meet the "fairy tale hiking trail." On reaching the height, we leave the main path because the Hirtstein (833 m) offers a worthwhile summit rock with a summit cross just 3 minutes away. Returning, we hike downhill through the forest and, following the Nordwaldkammweg logo, come to Oberdorf at the local herb fields. Here you could follow path Hi7 or the road to B38 to visit the Herb Power Source Hirschbach (N48° 31.106’, E14° 23.162’) on B38 and the Herb Inn Dunzinger (N48° 30.841’, E14° 24.063’) next to Hirschbach airport. Hi7 then leads to Guttenbrunn to the Cultural Inn Pammer (N48° 30.287’, E14° 24.266’, municipality of Hirschbach, control point). Normally, one comes along the NWKW over meadows and field paths and a small pond to the beautiful, typically Mühlviertel Stoabloß Cultural Inn Pammer in Guttenbrunn.

At the Cultural Inn Pammer, Hirschbacher Straße is crossed, a meadow path leads to a nice photo motif with NWKW marking, a short distance downhill to the pond and then gently uphill to Vierhöfergut. From there, we go on a farm road to Harruck (municipality Waldburg). We leave Harruck; very close ahead lies Waldburg. On the horizon, we see the Viehberg near Sandl with the wind turbine Spörbichl, the Stiftungsberg, and the Braunberg, which we want to hike to last. Past an old wayside shrine, we reach the beautifully located Waldburg with its three late Gothic wing altars in the church (N48° 30.500’, E14° 26.390’). At the eastern town exit, we turn left from the main road (beautiful view to the east) and walk downhill to Bachmühle, and soon we stand before the viaduct of the horse railway, which spans the Kronbach and the old road in two arches. The horse railway Linz-Budweis, opened in 1832 and running on wooden rails, was the first railway connection on the European continent. The yellow marked horse railway path crosses the Nordwaldkammweg here.

This leads further uphill through a viaduct to the Sternwald federal road B38 from Bad Leonfelden to Freistadt. Now follows the most dangerous section of the Nordwaldkammweg along the B38 without a sidewalk at the crossing of the Freistadt - Summerau railway line. The Alpine Club's requests to the Upper Austrian Road Administration for the construction of a sidewalk on these 250 meters have so far always been rejected.

Following the Nordwaldkammweg, the federal road B38 must be crossed, then passing Lengauergut to the bridge over the Jaunitzbach at the fish pond and to the old Reichenthal road. This is also crossed, it goes uphill on a meadow path to the pasture. In 2010, the Nordwaldkammweg to Steinkellnergut was relocated to the eastern pasture edge and thus registered. Afterwards, we move a short distance on the road through a new settlement to St. Peter to the noteworthy church there. This former Gothic cemetery church of Freistadt lies on a ridge west of the town. From St. Peter, we hike steeply downhill along the Way of the Cross stations to Freistadt to the hiking stone at Stadtgraben (N48° 30.790, E14° 30.176). Along the way, we pass the Nordwaldkammweg Memorial (N48° 30.886', E14° 28.935') in honor of the path founder Dipl.-Ing. Hellmuth Feix, path warden and first chairman of the Alpine Club Linz. The day can be nicely rounded off with a walk around the old town with a visit to the Brauhaus of the Braucommune Freistadt or a good inn in the town center.