Scheibbs: Culture, Trails and Excursions in the Erlauf Valley

Those looking for accommodation in Scheibbs can combine historic sites, trails along and above the Erlauf Valley, and excursion destinations with different focal points. The town offers short themed trails as well as longer routes: you can explore the history of Scheibbs independently, include the 844-metre-high Blassenstein, follow the Erlauf Valley Cycle Path or choose the 75-kilometre Via Aqua. For planning purposes, the key question is therefore whether you want to place culture, exercise, nature observation or a weather-independent activity at the centre of your stay.

Town History between Castle and Town Wall

Scheibbs Castle acquired its generous four-winged form at the beginning of the 17th century, when Gaming Charterhouse commissioned its conversion. Concerts are held regularly in the arcaded courtyard.

The town’s notable buildings include the Powder Tower and the Flecknertor gate. The Powder Tower is the oldest surviving defensive tower in Scheibbs; exhibitions are held inside it. The Flecknertor is the only surviving gate tower of Scheibbs’ town wall. This makes it possible to combine several different examples of the town’s fortifications in one cultural programme without equating the individual buildings.

The Töpper Mausoleum also contributes to the town’s historical diversity. It is a mausoleum with a prayer room and a crypt beneath it. To build it, the Scheibbs parish office acquired around 300 square feet of cemetery land in 1882, equivalent to just under 100 square metres. The building was constructed from Neustift tuff house bricks.

Neubruck and Sacred Architecture

Neubruck Castle is also known as Töpperschloss Neubruck and was built around 1820 as a manor house on the site of a large industrial complex. The former Töpper works consisted of a chapel, Neubruck Castle, a park and factory halls. Next to the manor house, the Töpper Chapel in Neubruck was opened on 1 September 1834; it was originally called St Andrew’s Chapel. Its rich fresco programme extends along the walls up to the closing dome.

Scheibbs itself is also home to the parish church, a late Gothic, three-aisled hall church from the beginning of the 16th century. A devastating fire almost completely destroyed it in 1645. It was subsequently given a Baroque makeover and expanded with four side chapels. For culture-focused days, Scheibbs thus offers various historical layers: a medieval town structure, an early modern castle conversion, an industrial past and sacred architecture.

Old Town Circuit, Mountain Trails and Water Knowledge

The “Scheibbs Old Town Circuit” can be explored independently. A brochure with an overview map and information panels along the route explains the history of Scheibbs. Those who prefer a guided introduction can take part in the town tour “Scheibbs in the Flow of Time”. It starts at the railway station and lasts just over an hour.

The 844-metre-high Blassenstein is regarded as Scheibbs’ local mountain. The Urlingerwarte observation tower stands at its summit and is a distinctive landmark of Scheibbs. There are also three well-signposted mountain biking routes around Scheibbs, including routes over Blassenstein and Ginselberg as well as a panoramic high trail between Scheibbs and Purgstall.

The Via Aqua is a 75-kilometre circular trail linking Scheibbs, Purgstall, Gaming and Sankt Anton An Der Jessnitz. Along the route are 23 teardrop-shaped WATER KNOWLEDGE stations and several scenic rest areas. The Erlauf Valley Cycle Path branches off the Danube Cycle Path at Ybbs and Pöchlarn, follows the Erlauf for much of its route and passes through Scheibbs.

The Erlauf Area and Weather-Independent Activities

The Scheibbs Stadtmole is a grandstand-style riverside area for relaxing, a landing stage for rafting trips on the Erlauf and an event venue. In addition, Neustift, a district of Scheibbs, is home to a disused tuff quarry designated as a natural monument. At Neustift, deposits from the Ursprungbach, a tributary of the Erlauf, formed a substantial limestone tuff bank over the last 250,000 years. The porous tuff contains, among other things, fossilised bones and plant impressions.

The 46-metre-long all-weather slide in the indoor swimming pool area leads outside and back into the warmth.

Getting There and Choosing a Location

Scheibbs can be reached by train or bus. Connected to the Western Railway at Pöchlarn, the Erlauf Valley Railway runs via Wieselburg and Purgstall directly to the centre of Scheibbs. The railway station is also the starting point for the guided town tour. This allows you to combine your arrival directly with a historic town programme, while the various routes and destinations in the Erlauf Valley offer options for days of different lengths.

For further orientation in the surrounding area, you can find Lunz Am See, Sankt Anton An Der Jessnitz, Gaming and Göstling An Der Ybbs here.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lower Austria.

More Travel Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Tulln, Gmünd, Bruck An Der Leitha, Wiener Neustadt.