Beer bike tour "Beer & Culture"

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You will also find impressive cultural jewels along the tour in Waldburg and Kefermarkt. The winged altars there are world-famous. Take a break in the parish churches and let these Gothic treasures take effect on you. Before returning to Freistadt, you will also pass by the Maria Bründl pilgrimage church with the Augenbründl in St. Oswald bei Freistadt.

Cultural highlights on the tour
Freistadt: Freistädter Brauhaus and Braucommune with brewer's fountain & glass relief wall by Arik Brauer, brewery gallery, parish church, castle museum with keep. An extraordinary experience: beer tapping in the town smithy. Waldburg: late Gothic winged altars, Mini-Agrimundus. Hirschbach: Mühlviertel mountain herbs, farmhouse furniture museum, Stoabloß farms. Neumarkt: cider museum with cider tasting at z' Wirt Trosselsdorf, Neumarkt parish church with Art Nouveau windows. Kefermarkt: Kefermarkt parish church with world-famous winged altar, Weinberg castle, 1st Upper Austrian castle brewery Weinberg. Lasberg: Hoh-Haus Buchberg, Dornach castle ruins. St. Oswald bei Freistadt: Maria Bründl pilgrimage church with Augenbründl, golf course, 1st Upper Austrian Mittendorfer schnapps museum, Ledermühle open-air museum.

Beer tip

• Freistädter brewery
• Bierbuschenschank Eder Bräu, Kefermarkt
• Weinberg Castle Brewery, Kefermarkt

Route:
Combine beer and culture with the variety of cultural offerings in the Mühlviertel on this cycle tour. The start of the tour, at the Freistädter Brauhaus brewery, is the first cultural highlight. There you will find the brewing fountain and a glass relief wall in the brewhouse, which were designed by the important Austrian artist Arik Brauer.
From the start at the ÖAMTC e-bike station (district administration car park), the route takes you past the Freistädter Brauhaus. At the traffic lights, turn left towards St. Peter and cycle along cycle path 901 towards Freistadt railway station. Change to path number 918 to the first stop in Waldburg. The three late Gothic winged altars and the Mini-Agrimundus Museum (pre-booking 07942 8300) are well worth a visit. Continue via Freistadt airfield to the herbal community of Hirschbach. "Experience herbs - recharge your batteries - find the source", you can experience all of this at the Kräuterkraftquelle. Beautiful hand-painted farmhouse furniture from the 18th/19th century and handicrafts can be found in the Farmhouse Furniture Museum. From Hirschbach along the Kleine Gusen to Steigersdorf. There, turn right onto trail 916 towards the village of Lamm. The path leads you to Trosselsdorf, where the cider museum invites you to take a break and enjoy a "Cheers with cider". Trail 916 takes you directly to Neumarkt. A visit to the parish church with its famous Art Nouveau windows is well worthwhile. The connecting path (marked with a dotted line on the map) takes you via Eberstein and Dörfl to path 917 to Kefermarkt. A visit to the world-famous winged altar is a cultural treat. Created between 1490 and 1497 by an unknown master, the winged altar is one of the major works of Gothic art in the German-speaking world - an altar whose great richness lies in the details. (Book a guided tour in advance 07947/5910-12). A short, steep climb takes you to Weinberg Castle, guided tour from May to October every Friday at 2.00 pm, duration 75 minutes or by pre-booking. The castle brewery is located in the Meierhof. A visit with a tasting of the home-brewed beer from the first Upper Austrian pub brewery will quench your thirst (closed on Mondays). In the guest garden you can also enjoy the marvellous view as far as the Alps. From Weinberg, head back into the village and along the Feldaist on path 917 to the "Haltestelle" (closed Mon/Thu; tel. 0664 46 22 482). Possibility to drive up to the Hoh Haus Buchberg. Guided tours of Hoh Haus Buchberg and Marktschmiede Lasberg are available by appointment from Sepp Wittinghofer +43 664 2308273. From there, the connecting path leads via Dornach Castle and the Fürstenhammer open-air museum to Lasberg. At Gasthaus Hofer (closed Tue/Mi/Sun; 07947 73 14) turn right onto Feistritztalstraße in the direction of Punkenhof. Follow the path 909 in the direction of Elz. Via Paben (909 direction Gutau) the path leads to Fürling (Wirt auf da Fürling). After the primary school, turn left towards March in the direction of St. Oswald. A stop at the Maria Bründl pilgrimage church with the legendary Augenbründl is worthwhile. From there, the route takes path 908 to St. Oswald. Tip: Visit the first Upper Austrian schnapps museum with the Mittendorfer family (opening times: Mon-Thu: 8-12 and 13-17, Fri: 8-14, guided tours for 5 or more people by prior arrangement: +43 7945 7203) or the Ledermühle open-air museum (opening times: May to 31 October every 1st Sunday of the month 2-4pm by appointment: +43 7945 7255-15). A detour to the golf course is worthwhile for golf enthusiasts. Via the St. Oswald market square, the route leads along the Feistritz on path 909 via Pilgersdorf to Lasberg. At the junction with the main road (opposite the bus stop), turn sharp right towards St. Oswald. Ride along the country road for approx. 600 metres (watch out for traffic). Then turn left to Steinböckhof (the shady forest and then the magnificent panorama over the region make the climb easier) and continue on cycle path 911 back to the medieval brewing town of Freistadt. The brewing town with the castle museum and St Catherine's Minster offer further cultural experiences. Guided tours of the brewery take place Monday to Saturday at 11am and 2pm by prior arrangement (+43 7942 75777). Enjoy the many impressions of our brewing town and visit one of our many inns.

Alternative: in Kefermarkt near Weinberg Castle, follow the Weinberg-Elz connecting path to Paben (see detailed cycle map South Bohemia-Mühlviertel No. 3). In Elz you will come across the UNESCO cultural heritage of pitch oil burning.