Zur Fronholzwarte

Easy, but only partially marked hike on goods roads and easy paths.

The descent via the Schärdinger Hütte is very steep and not recommended in wet conditions (but can be avoided).

It's hard to believe that the gentle landscape of the western Sauwald plateau forms the backdrop for bizarre drawings: Between 1906 and 1959, the graphic artist and writer Alfred Kubin lived in Zwickledt, specifically in the so-called Schlössl, which is now accessible as a museum and memorial. It is the first stop on an eventful circular tour, which we start at the Wernstein municipal office. We walk eastwards over the railway line and past the vicarage into the Lindenbach valley, where the signposting for the Kubin Trail begins. Through the grounds of a sawmill we reach the rear area of the settlement, from where we climb up to the plateau of the Sauwald on the Kubinweg (No. VIII). At a farm with a chapel, we reach a farm track that leads to Zwickledt and the Kubinschlössl with its small wooden tower. We cross the main road from Schärding to Passau and follow signpost VIII to the village of Amelreiching, where we turn left. After a while, the signposts point us right to Wilbing. Turn left there and briefly parallel to the main road, then continue left on a farm track. Finally, turn right onto a path into Fronholz and up the hill with the Fatima Chapel (short detour to the right). Turn left to reach the viewing platform at the highest point of the hilltop. On a clear day, the view from up there stretches from the Bohemian Forest over the area around Passau to the Alps. At the transmitter, we turn right, descend northwards to a tarmac road and walk on the other side through the Krenbauer settlement to the farmstead of the same name. Turn left there and soon after turn left again to another farm near the main road. Turn left along this road to the nearby junction, then right across the carriageway and past a few houses to the goods road to Wernstein. Turn left along this road and then right immediately after the entrance to the Stritting farm. Soon after, turn left following the signposts. Continue between the forest and a farmstead, then turn right to the hamlet of Fraunhof. Cross a road, turn left at the rear building and continue to a beautiful old farm on the edge of the Sauwald plateau. Pass it on the right, take a narrow path across the meadow and down through the forest to the unmanaged but enchanting Schärdinger Hütte hut on a rocky outcrop. The route then descends steeply again and follows the wider path to the Inn. Turn left and follow the "Nature Experience Trail" alongside the river and the railway back to the starting point.

Rest stops:
in Wernstein and Schardenberg, inn at the Fronholzwarte