Mitterkirchen: Devil's Path

Description:

POINTS OF INTEREST ALONG THE WAY:

Celtic village Mitterkirchen April 15 - Oct 31 daily 9 am - 5 pm (also on Sundays & public holidays)

Bathing lake Mitterkirchen in Weisching

 

SPIRITUAL HIKING ON THE DANUBE STEIG:

Here, we again encounter the Celts, and in a Celtic village, you can learn interesting facts about their way of life.
On the "Devil's Path" you pass an extraordinary natural monument, a 500-year-old oak. An oak can take 500 years to grow, 500 years to live, and then another approx. 500 years to decay (until it is completely rotten). Considering such time spans, it is clear that trees can outlive and accompany generations of people. Annual rings testify to their age, to fertile and less fertile times. Trees are part of the yearly cycle of spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

• On this circular route, as I walk forward, I look back on my life and try to focus on the things that have strengthened me, that have encouraged me to go my own way. I remember which people or events have supported me, helping me to grow and mature.


• Today, I stand as I am, say YES to myself.

 

Steps to Letting Go - 4.6 km
Everyone has probably dealt with the subject of "letting go" at some point. Letting go and being able to forgive are closely connected. Sometimes it helps to forgive and let go in order to close the chapter on certain things. Leaving the old behind and looking forward. Usually, successful letting go brings more joy of life and lightness. This path, opened in 2015, is accompanied by 12 panels that invite reflection.
Further information about the path can be found at www.mitterkirchen.at.

Questions I ask myself:

• What does letting go mean to me?


• Can I be grateful for what was?


• Can I forgive someone or even myself in order to let go?

Directions:
From the starting point in Mitterkirchen, after the sports ground and the Machland dam, we turn right into a side street and hike southwest. We follow the street and keep right (left leads to the Danube power plant Wallsee-Mitterkirchen). At a sharp right turn, we turn into a field path. After a short time, we pass an oak, which is also designated as a natural monument. It is said to be 500 years old. At some houses, we come back onto the road and walk towards the bathing lake where there are also dining options. We continue hiking through the cultural landscape and meet the Danube Steig at the Naarn, which we follow for a stretch before turning off towards Mitterkirchen in Wagra.Tip:

Watch out, the devil!

Who could blame the devil for taking the souls he can get most easily? It is said that women who had recently given birth and were not yet "blessed" had to be especially careful. Woe if they left the ground. Unless they carried something sacred with them. Then the danger was averted. A woman from the Mitterkirchen area was invited to a wedding. Somehow she had forgotten to be blessed. On her way to the celebration, she neither wore a blessed necklace nor any other amulet. In her mind, she was probably already at the wedding. At a pasture fence, she gathered up her skirt and climbed over the gatepost. At that moment, the black soul hunter grabbed her and rode away with her. The horrified neighbors only found the scraps of her clothes. They were scattered around the gate path. The chapel at Leitner in Hörstorf still serves as a reminder of this eerie event.

Legend told by Helmut Wittmann

Equipment:
Hiking backpack (incl. rain cover), sturdy footwearAdditional information:

Municipal office Mitterkirchen im Machland
4343 Mitterkirchen 50
Tel.: 0043(0)7269/8255-0 Fax: DW25
gemeinde@mitterkirchen.ooe.gv.at
www.mitterkirchen.ooe.gv.at