planets trail

On the planet trail the planetary system was reconstructed to scale between Freistadt and the observatory Sandl.
The observatory in Sandl is one of the 14 stations of the Solar Flare Watch Program of NASA.

The sun is located on the promenade in Freistadt with a diameter of 1 metre (made of granite). The planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars (and the asteroid belts) are located in the municipality of Freistadt. Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus are in the municipality of Grünbach. Neptune and Pluto are located in the municipality of Sandl (at the observatory terminus, Pluto is the size of a pinhead).

The planets are symbolically placed on granite boulders as stone spheres (approx. 25 cm in diameter).

Stations:

• Sun
• Venus and Mars
• Jupiter and Saturn
• Solar energy
• Space sounds
• Space travel
• Galaxies
• Planetary scale
• Dendrochronology
• Du-Point
• The observatory

The hiking trail leads from the medieval brewing and cultural town of Freistadt, through the village of Schlag, via the Zimmerhofer farm to the mountain church of St. Michael ob Rauchenödt and then in the direction of Mitterbach (refreshment stop at the Forellenwirt). After a short break, continue to the Viehberghütte and Prof. Wolfgang Wöss' private observatory in Sandl.

Of course, the planetary hike can also be done in reverse order from Sandl to Freistadt. A wide range of maps and information material is available from the municipal office and the Mühlviertler Alm Freistadt tourist office.