alpannonia® Hard - Deer Chase with King Matthias

Our route starting from Schlaining Castle entirely follows alpannonia® trail sections; up to the village of Goberling we need to follow the yellow marking, from Goberling to Kis Szarvaskő the red marking, and from there back to Stadtschlaining again the yellow marking. Our route is often crossed by new paths, and although the markings are well visible throughout, it is still advisable to carry this tour map or a GPS device with us.

• On the left side of the bridge leading to the castle, following the alpannonia® marking, we descend into the castle moat, then walk through the castle wall into the forest following the small stream's flow direction, continuing to follow the alpannonia® marking until we reach the stream bank, the alpannonia® nature trail.
• We continue walking along the stream bank following the alpannonia® marking, reaching houses, crossing the bridge over the stream on the right, turning right on the road, then walking about 50 meters alongside the road until the Schönau junction, where we turn left into the forest following the alpannonia® marking uphill.
• We exit the forest, the ascent continues among the fields, at intersections we follow the marking straight ahead or left, enter the woods again, then reach a clearing where modern houses stand on private property on our right. We cross the clearing and walk through a short forest section again.
• We exit the forest at the border of Goberling, cross the bridge over the stream, turn right, and walk into the center of Goberling along the sidewalk by the main road. In the heart of the settlement is the Mining Museum, and here is also the alpannonia® information board.
• From the museum, we follow the alpannonia® red marking, first turning right, then left into a steeply ascending street, whose end bends left and continues upward. Soon the entire settlement lies "under our feet." We continue following the alpannonia® red marking and emerge onto the fields.
• At the fields, following the map and the alpannonia® red marking, we turn left on a narrow paved road among the fields, then at the forest edge, at a developed spring (Quelle am Meierhof Schlaining - spring at the Szalónak manor) we turn left again. Nearby is the 1st checkpoint/insect hotel. We continue along a narrow forest path by the stream, at the next intersection we turn right uphill, then following the road alignment descend to a bridge.
• We cross the small bridge, turn left, follow the markings, at the clearing first turn right then left, enter the forest again, the road descends steeply, we turn right, walk along the Unterkohlstättner stream, shortly reaching the lime kiln of Alsószalónak. We can rest on the benches or study the lime burning process.
• After the lime kiln, the road continues uphill, at the intersection we keep left, after a few minutes we reach a beautiful small lake, which we pass on the left. About 100 meters left on the asphalt road is the center of Alsószénégető village; leaving the route here, we can find a church and a small inn.
• Near the lake begin the calvary stations; following them, we reach Felsőszénégető (Oberkohlstätten), at the intersection, following the alpannonia® red marking, we turn right, ascending to the Szénégető park where we can read in Hungarian about the charcoal burning process. The view of the Alps and this hilly region is wonderful; it is worth taking a rest on the benches.
• Continuing the path, leaving the charcoal burner behind, the asphalt road ascends to the right of a large modern building, then bends left leading to the forest. At the forest edge we find binoculars and a model, perhaps made for pigeons...
• We leave the field following the road at the forest edge, then sharply turn left, ascending again until we reach a forest path. Here we turn right, following the alpannonia® red marking, we do not leave this road for a while, but at a crossroads, watching the map and marking, we turn left and ascend all the way to Kis Szarvaskő (Kleiner Hirschenstein, 836 m). Nearby is the 2nd checkpoint/insect hotel. At the summit, we can read the legend of King Matthias and the stone-transformed deer.
• After the Kis Szarvaskő intersection, turning right towards our starting point Városszalónak, we continue, carefully following the map and the alpannonia® yellow marking for approximately 12 kilometers.
• The frequency of markings on the Austrian sections is much lower than on the Hungarian sections, the markings are more worn, but at intersections which may initially be unclear, a few seconds of inspection and the white stakes bearing the route's markings and arrows always guide us onto the correct path. It is a fact that following the markings requires greater attention. In some places on the forest-built road, a sharp turn shortcut serves the safety of hikers, although in this forest section we mostly meet rabbits and deer rather than foresters and machinery.
• From the intersection below Szarvaskő, from where we head towards Stadtschlaining, after a few minutes’ walking we first reach a resting spot with bilingual (Hungarian-German) information boards, and giant funnels to collect and listen to the sounds of the forest.
• Our route continues through forest, then turns onto a winding forest-built road, after piles of firewood and a lovely viewpoint, finally beyond a small winding path we reach the nicely built King’s Well (Königsbrunnen), where the 3rd checkpoint/insect hotel is also located. According to legend, King Matthias greatly loved the water of this well, so he surrounded it with stones. Although the water is now crystal clear, it is unfortunately not drinkable, but various creatures can still be observed in it. Continuing on wooden planks, we reach a clearing and surprisingly find a forest football field in front of us.
• Leaving the King’s Well area, we again walk along a winding forest-built road, soon reaching Csirkekő, where according to legend "Matthias and his party" used to nibble on roast chicken.
• We continue through the forest, carefully following the markings or this tour map at intersections, but suddenly above the village of Schönau bei Schlaining we leave the main road, since the marking leads us onto a heavily overgrown but passable path that cuts off the winding built road and leads to one end of the village. Schönau is a tiny village with friendly residents where greetings are exchanged even with complete strangers; we reciprocate with a smile to their hospitality. We leave the village towards the forest, then on fields, and at a junction we return “as the crow flies” to the road under Városszalónak.
• We turn right on the road, cross the small bridge on the left side, but now instead of approaching the castle from below the forest as at the beginning of the tour, we go up Schönauweg street, then turn left onto Baumkircher Gasse street, reaching the town square and immediately the bridge of the castle.