WAB - Regional Route R: Markt Piesting - Puchberg/Schneeberg

Puchberg/Schneeberg railway station

Regional Route R starts at Markt Piesting municipal office in the Biedermeiertal valley. The information pavilion is directly adjacent, whilst the road we walk up, Badgasse, is just around the corner (marked in red). We cross beneath the Bundesstraße and ascend to the Feuerwehrhaus. Follow the marked hiking path into the woods after going right from Gasthaus Schmankerl. We then head through the pine forest on a hiking trail that is marked out in red and green (path 231 and tut-gut route 2). Path 231 leads us to a main road, we stay on the left-hand side of this, then switch over to a hiking trail and reach the Zitherwirt after a few metres. We cross the Hauptstraße and follow the forest path in the direction of Hohe Wand. This trail leads us out of the woods after a few minutes and we continue along the edge of a forest and a meadow with views of Dreistetten. At the next crossroads veer left, then right going uphill to Einhornhöhle (marked in blue).

 

We follow the hiking path and come across several crossroads. The Regional Route continues further along route 231, then onto 01, marked out in red and uphill. It is also possible to head along the Drobilsteig route parallel to this that is marked in blue (ladders and secured spots). These trails meet again higher up and we now head along pleasant paths to the Herrgottschnitzerhaus with splendid views of the Neue Welt. After going past the house, we head along the road, turn left onto a trail after a few metres, and continue along this nature trail to the former Hanselsteighaus. We walk along the road, past the Kohlröserlhaus and to the crossroads with the Hohen-Wand-Straße. Turn right onto the road here, then a few metres after the small church, turn left onto the marked forest path. The route leads us to a road, which guides us to a car park and the Almfriedenwiese. Continue along this path towards Gasthof Postl and enjoy the views of the Neue Welt when they appear. The skywalk is reached on the left after a few metres just before Gasthof Postl. Only flying is more beautiful. Due to the flying school at Gasthof Postl, flying is also an option.

 

We turn left before the car park at the Gasthof and follow the gravel track on route no. 231 to Hirschgehege. We follow this around anti-clockwise and then, a few minutes later, reach the car park near the petting zoo. The Naturparkstüberl, which is both a museum and a place to stay, is on the other side of the car park. We follow the hiking route to another enclosure, turn right just before it, ascend to the road and continue walking up to Gasthof Kleine Kanzel. This is as far as it gets for cars, however, we continue hiking the gravel track up to Wanddörfl. The route continues to Plackles, whilst the gravel track accompanies us alongside a bird nature trail to the nature conservation station vantage point. At this point, we turn right and reach the highest albeit inconspicuous part of the Hohe Wand after a few minutes. Continue past the former Berghaus Plackles and head downhill along hiking and forest trails towards the Rastkreuz and Gelände sections. At the same time, we can find out what the Big Bang has to do with Grünbach. We continue along the trail towards the Geländehütte cabin along initially relatively simple paths with plenty of grand views, then come across stonier and steeper sections. The closer we get to the Geländehütte, the more we get to see the views. Whilst a bear fights with a Stone Age human some distance further down from the Geländehütte, we go past the cabin on the right and continue hiking towards Grünbachersattel. We ignore the first fork in the road to Grünbach (marked in blue), but we follow the Krumböcksteig path, which is marked out in red a few metres further on the left. We walk downhill along steep paths and reach the Grünbachersattel after half-an-hour. Regional Route S starts at the Grünbachersattel and carries on to Würflach via Gutenmann.

 

We turn right at the Bundesstraße towards the saddle and after around 100 metres turn left onto a track and cross the railway line. A gentle climb awaits us along tracks and forest paths before descending on cart paths towards Pfennigbach, then turning left onto another hiking trail in the village. After 20 minutes we return to civilisation in the form of the Leopold-Auer-Weg, which we follow along the Sierningbach stream before turning right into Ehrbarweg after a few minutes. The Hotel Schneeberghof can be found on the left, whilst Puchberg railway station can also be seen. We cross over the Bundesstraße and reach the railway station at the end of Regional Route R.

 

There are a few places to stay in Puchberg, such as the Hotel Schneeberghof or Pension Bruckerhof. You can take the train to Wiener Neustadt from Puchberg/Schneeberg railway station, or head off on another route instead. Regional Route P goes via Losenheim to the Edelweißhütte at the foot of the Schneeberg, whilst Route Q heads to Muggendorf via Mariahilfberg and Gutenstein.