Railroad paths & mountain trails

On the traces of coal mining in Hausruck 

Easy hike on forest roads and paths, but in some parts not marked How does an ideal hiking trail begin? Flat and comfortable, garnished with a beautiful view. This is exactly what the Hausruckwinkel offers, the hidden farmland in the northeast of the long and much indented forest ridge that separates the Hausruck from the Innviertel. South of Geboltskirchen it sends a ridge towards Wolfsegg and across its northern slopes an even forest road winds its way.

Today the path tempts to take a contemplative stroll along, but 35 years ago it was the tough world of work: the horizontal route originates from a railroad line that connected the numerous lignite mines in this area of the Hausruckwald. In the 19th century, several railroad tracks were built in the direction of Hausruck to transport the coveted fuel to the salt mines in the Salzkammergut. Since 1843, one of them led from today's Westbahn station Breitenschützing (between Lambach and Schwanenstadt) to a mining settlement near Wolfsegg, which still bears the eloquent name "Kohlgrube" (coal pit); from 1923, the 11 km long, "restricted-public" narrow-gauge railroad even transported passengers.
On March 10, 1966, the last train rattled through the eastern district of Wolfsegg-Traunthaler Kohlenwerks AG. The rails have long since disappeared, but otherwise some traces of the former activity can still be discovered in the landscape: industrial buildings adapted as residential buildings, rumpled terrain, dams and the renovated tunnel portal below the road bend at the head of the valley of Gschwendt.

In between, the view goes on and on into the distance - out into the "Landl", the hilly valley of the Trattnach covered with countless cider fruit trees. The source of this small river, enclosed by a wall, is encountered just 500 m after the start and, fortified with a fresh drink, the following section of the trail is no problem.

Above the hamlet of Oberenten we reach the "Erlebnisweg Hausruckeck" (=Adventure trail), which we follow to the right to Roßwald. There someone has built a real castle. Immediately after entering the forest again, we cross a dead-straight, but unmarked hollow path, on which we hike up to the right (before that, however, we should make the detour straight ahead to the nearby show tunnel). The sunken path leads to the 700 m high Hausruck ridge, where you reach a red-white-red marked route. Follow this route in the direction of "Haag" over the wooded ridge until it joins the Hausruck-Höhenweg (No. 810). There to the right over the Grubberg to the mountain station of a ski lift. Soon after to a devotional picture, which reminds of the consequences of blasphemy, and to an original stone table. Turn right and descend on a hollow path through the Gschwendtleiten to the edge of the forest near Gschwendt. Then nothing stands in the way of a Mosteinkehr (= cider retreat)!

Rest stops: none on the way, inns and Most and wine taverns in Geboltskirchen and its surroundings.