Discover the lakes, enjoy the nature. culture & tradition awesome nature hiking paradise GENERAL INFORMATION MONDSEELAND, MONDSEE-IRRSEE www.mondsee.at Familiy holiday DEAR VISITOR CONTENTS Welcome to MondSeeLand, the region around Lakes Mondsee History 04 and Irrsee. MondSeeLand is just a 20-minute drive from the city of Salzburg and is one of the gateways to the Salzkammergut. Pile dwellings: Unesco World Heritage Site 05 Lakes Mondsee and Irrsee are the warmest lakes for bathing in the Salzkammergut region, with water temperatures of up to Unmissable sights 06 27°C/80°F All about MondSeeLand 07 The wide range of leisure activities is one of the region’s great as- sets: we have something for everyone – for families and individual Boat trips on Lake Mondsee 08 guests; for sporting enthusiasts and those in search of peace and relaxation. MondSeeLand has so much to experience, discover and enjoy, not to mention our famous Austrian hospitality. Boat hire 08 We hope you enjoy your stay in MondSeeLand. Swimming / bathing spots 09 Tourismusverband MondSeeLand tourist information team, Sport in MondSeeLand 09 - 11 Mondsee-Irrsee Hiking and hillwalking 11 - 14 Great events 16 IMPRINT: Publisher: Tourismusverband MondSeeLand, Mondsee-Irrsee Pictures: TV MondSeeLand, Oberösterreich Tourismus, Fotografie Schwamberger, Culinary treats 17 Fotostudio Meindl, Foto Weinhäupl, Kuratorium Pfahlbauten Print: Fuchs Druck GmbH All information without guarantee, changes and misprints! Usefull information 18-19 2 3 History Pile dwellings: Unesco World Heritage Site The history of MondSeeLand stretches back 6000 years. Ruins of settlements In the Mondsee, Attersee and Seewalchen communities, you can now visit were found underwater near the banks of Lake Mondsee near Scharfling, and the new information pavilions on the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE Prehi- a rich array of Neolithic pottery and stone and bone tools were excavated. storic Pile Dwellings around the Alps. The pile dwelling pavilions are free and Scientists and archaeologists interpreted the finds as the remains of a pile open to the public and explain why the archaeological sites have been named dwelling culture, and the term Mondsee culture was coined after the site of on the UNESCO World Heritage list. They tell the story of the inhabitants of the main find. The culture has been roughly dated to a period between 2800 the settlements that now lie under water. Come and find out the answers to and 1800 BC and covers most of Upper Austria and parts of the state of Salz- the most frequently asked questions about the submerged villages, which are burg. More recent research has shown how the rural settlements were later up to 6000 years old. The three pavilions look at the settlements’ story from submerged as the water level of the lake rose. different perspectives, so it is well worth visiting all three sites. In 748, the Bavarian Duke Odilo of the Agilolfing dynasty founded Mondsee You can combine a walk round the pavilions with a trip to the Austrian Pile Abbey. From then on, the abbey shaped the religious, cultural and economic Dwelling Museum (Pfahlbaumuseum) in Mondsee and the local heritage development of the area, and a distinct cultural landscape emerged. The ab- museums (Heimathäuser) in Vöcklabruck and Schörfling am Attersee, where bey was dissolved in 1791 under Emperor Leopold II. In 1810, Napoleon gran- original artefacts from the Neolithic and Bronze Age settlements are on dis- ted Mondsee to the Bavarian field marshal Karl Philipp von Wrede and what play. Tours of the pavilions can be booked with Mondsee and Attersee tourist had been the abbey became Mondsee Palace (Schloss Mondsee). Mondsee offices and are also offered together with boat trips on the lake. Palace was eventually inherited by the Counts of Almeida. Sold in 1984, it was converted into a hotel, which opened for business in 2001. MORE INFORMATION on the UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE Prehistoric Pile Dwellings around the Alps and on the pavilions is available at The most famous feature today is the former abbey church, which was gran- www.pfahlbauten.at ted the title of minor basilica by John Paul II in 2005. SITES: Mondsee Pavilion: Promenade/Almeida Park Attersee Pavilion: North promenade/Park Seewalchen Pavilion: Promenade/beside Agerbrücke bridge Tourismusverband MondSeeLand, Mondsee-Irrsee Tel. +43 6232 2270, www.mondsee.at 4 5 Unmissable sights All about MondSeeLand MondSeeLand covers the region around Mondsee and Irrsee in the state of Upper Austria. Just beside the border with Salzburg, this is one of the gate- ways to the Salzkammergut. The area’s population is currently around 15,000. Basilica of St Michael - or: the wedding church from "The Sound of Music" The Basilica of St Michael (Basilika zum Hl. Michael) is Mondsee’s defining landmark and has a fascinating and eventful history. It was built in the 12th century and is one of the largest Gothic churches in Austria; the beautiful baroque interior was created in the late 17th and early 18th century. For the 1957 American musical film "The Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, the former Benedictine abbey church was the setting for the wedding scene. Many visitors still come today to admire the impressi- ve basilica, or indeed to get married there. The church was granted the status of minor basilica in 2005 and its artistic treasures include works by the baro- que sculptor Meinrad Guggenbichler. The basilica is open daily from 9:00-18:00. Lake Mondsee is surrounded by a beautiful mountain panorama, a paradise Donations of € 1.00/$ 1.00 are requested to help maintain the building. for hikers and hillwalkers. Schober, Drachenwand, Schafberg and Mondsee- berg are just waiting to be climbed. The lake itself has been under private ownership since the 18th century. The entire lake and all its tributaries is also Museum MondSeeLand with the österreichisches Pfahlbaumuseum a European Protected Area. Since 2013, the submerged pile dwellings have Mondseeland Museum and the Austrian Museum of Lake Dwellings. Find out all been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. about Mondsee’s fascinating history and discover the archaeological finds from the area’s pile dwelling culture from over 6000 years ago. Freilichtmuseum Mondseer Rauchhaus and Bauernmuseum MondSeeLand A fascinating insight into traditional farming life at the “Mondsee Smoke- house” open-air museum and the MondSeeLand Farming Museum. Salzkammergut Lokalbahnmuseum The famous line from Salzburg to Bad Ischl is sadly history, but it comes to life again at the Salzkammergut Local Railway Museum. Find out about the models used on this much-loved railway and admire the beautifully restored original trains. Irrseer Heimathaus with the Hans Mairhofer-Irrsee collection and Gartengalerie Irrsee Local Heritage Museum is a treasure trove of art and tradition that takes visitors back in time. Why not take time out to relax and admire the artwork in Lake Irrsee, also known as Zeller See, is true wonder of nature. The entire the garden gallery (Gartengalerie). lake and its marshy banks with their rich flora and fauna have been a strict conservation area for decades. This has largely preserved Lake Irrsee’s natural Stammbaum-Atelier Rosenlechner features. There are designated bathing spots for you to enjoy the warmest Austria’s most extensive genealogy art studio. lake in the Salzkammergut. A cycle trip or hike around Lake Irrsee is a great opportunity to observe rare plants and animals. One highlight is the curlew, For the latest information, prices and opening hours, please visit the bird on the coat of arms of Oberhofen am Irrsee. www.mondsee.at 6 7 Boat trips on Lake Mondsee Swimming / bathing spots Regular boat trips are run from May to September by the two local Mond- You can swim anywhere in Lakes Mondsee and Irrsee where there is public see boat companies. Visitors can discover the lake up close on one of three access to the water. Access to private bathing areas and to marked nature boats. Alongside the standard lake trip, themed boat trips are also offered: conservation areas is strictly prohibited. for example children’s discoes, full moon trips and children’s boat trips with “Manio Klabautermännlein” – Manio the kobold – on the oldest wooden ves- Bathing areas and open-air pools sel on Lake Mondsee. The boats are available for private charter, for example Alpenseebad Mondsee for company events, private parties or weddings. Special Advent, St Nicholas Seebadstraße 3, 5310 Mondsee Day and Christmas boat trips are also run. Please note that there are no set Tel. +43 (0) 6232 2291 timetables for the boat trips: the time of departure depends on the number May to September from 9:00 (weather permitting) of passengers and information is available from the captain. More information is available from the two boat trip operators: Freibad Oberwang 4882 Oberwang, Tel. +43 (0) 6233 8257 Mid-June to the end of August, 10:00 – 18:00 Public bathing areas Free admission / Charge for parking Tiefgraben, Loibichl, Plomberg and Schwarzindien Mondsee Schifffahrt Schifffahrt Meindl KG Entry fee / Free parking Familie Hemetsberger Tel. +43 (0) 676 6047644 Zell am Moos and Oberhofen am Irrsee Tel. +43 (0) 664 4934684 www.schifffahrt-mondsee.at www.mondseeschifffahrt.com Bathing with dogs Boat hire For hygiene reasons, dogs are not permitted into the lake in the public or local authority bathing areas. Dogs can access the lake in the following places: Electric boats, rowing boats, pedal boats and sailing boats are available to hire between Plomberg and Scharfling and at Kreuzstein. at Lake Mondsee, as are surfboards, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards (SUPs). Segelschule Mondsee Robert-Baum-Promenade 3, 5310 Mondsee Tel. +43 (0) 6232 36092, www.segelschule-mondsee.at Sailing boats, surfboards, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards Seegasthof & Segelschule Weiße Taube Schwarzindien 69, 5310 St.