Julbach: Calvary Hill, Chapels and Trails

Julbach’s sheltered south-facing slope gives it a relatively mild climate. When looking for accommodation, you can choose from a range of interests: religious history, themed trails, landscape and local heritage. The specific points of interest vary considerably, from an annual procession and trails with their own distinct themes to an exhibition on rural life and crafts.

Calvary Hill and sacred buildings

Every year during Holy Week, on Good Friday, a procession makes its way up Calvary Hill in Julbach. The Drosselstein is also located there, a former cult object with a bowl-shaped hollow that remains moist even during severe drought. Calvary Hill thus brings together two different aspects: a recurring religious tradition and a historically significant object with a distinctive physical property.

The Egerholz Chapel was built in 1649 as a plague chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, above a spring in Egerholz. The Schiffler Chapel dates from 1880. The parish church of St. Anne contains an altar dedicated to Saint Anne. These buildings and memorials differ in their details: the Egerholz Chapel has a named purpose and dedication, the Schiffler Chapel has a recorded year of construction, and the parish church has an altar dedicated to a saint. Each sacred building therefore offers its own connection to the town’s history.

Trails with different themes

The Ten Commandments Trail starts at the Calvary Hill Chapel in Julbach. The Weiselweg focuses on six stations devoted to health. On the Julbach Pearl Trail, the Cecilia Chapel is one of the stops. Choosing a trail based on its theme lets you distinguish between a trail with a religious name, health stations and a route that includes a chapel as a stop.

The Guckerweg passes numerous telescopes and offers a magnificent view across the rolling hills of the Mühlviertel and the Bohemian Forest from the “Bohemian Forest View with Hochficht Ski Area” viewing station. The trail is 3.3 kilometres long. The moderately difficult Bohemian Forest–Wegscheid riding and hiking route is a different proposition: it is 27 kilometres long and takes about three hours. The route passes through Schwarzenberg, Julbach, Kohlstatt and Kollerschlag before reaching Wegscheid. The distance and duration refer to the entire route; trail conditions may change, so it is advisable to check them in advance.

Landscape and local heritage

Exotic plants and many fruit trees grow in the Poppgarten in Julbach, especially walnut and plum trees. Together with the sheltered south-facing slope, they create a distinctive landscape: the location contributes to the relatively mild climate, while the Poppgarten is home to a variety of plant species and fruit trees.

The Julbach local heritage museum houses an exhibition on rural life and crafts. The open-air museum is part of Kunst Werk Julbach in Julbach. These themes of everyday life and craft history complement the sacred buildings and trails.

Discover more destinations: Guglwald, Sankt Stefan Am Walde, Schwarzenberg Am Böhmerwald, Lembach Im Mühlkreis, Sankt Leonhard, Altenfelden, Auberg, Godersdorf.

For the overview of the wider area: Rohrbach.