The Mühlviertel in Upper Austria, to the north and northwest of Linz between the Danube and the Czech frontier, is a rolling wooded plateau rising from the Danube to the Bohemian Forest, deeply slashed by the valleys of the Grosse and Kleine Mühl. To the west it merges into the foothills of the Bavarian Forest, to the east into the Waldviertel. The highest point is the Sternberg (1,125m/3,691ft), while the average altitude of the settlements is between 500 and 600m/1,640 and 1,970ft. This region of mainly agricultural land and forest contributes little to the national economy, and the total absence of any major industry has led to a rural exodus, mainly to Linz. For holiday visitors looking for quiet and relaxation, however, the Mühlviertel offers excellent walking country and reasonably priced accommodation. Woodland alternates with pasture and arable land, here and there on higher ground can be seen a castle or the ruins of one, and a whole range of quiet little market towns and villages make the picture complete.
Aigen (596m/1,955ft) is a pleasant old market town and holiday resort in the northwest of the Mühlviertel. Adjoining it to the south lies Schlägl (564m/1,850ft), with a Premonstratensian abbey founded in 1218 and rebuilt in the 17th C. The church of Maria Himmelfahrt (The Assumption), originally Early Gothic, was remodelled in Baroque style in the 17th C.; note the wrought iron choir screen of 1684, the pulpit of 1646-47, and choir stalls of 1735. The abbey also has a picture gallery.
Address:
Aigen Tourist Office, Marktplatz 6, A-4160 Aigen, Austria
20km/12.5mi west of Freistadt lies Bad Leonfelden (749m/2,457ft; pop. 3,000), a spa (mud baths, Kneipp treatment) with a pilgrimage church of 1791. To the north rises the Sternstein (1,125m/3,691ft; chairlift), the highest point in the Mühlviertel, with a look out tower. This is a popular skiing area in winter and also attracts many summer visitors.
Address:
Bad Leonfelden Tourist Office, Ringstrasse 77, A-4190 Bad Leonfelden, Austria
Königswiesen (600m/1,969ft; pop. 3,000), an old market town in the east of the Mühlviertel, now attracts summer visitors. The twin aisled Parish Church of the Assumption is a masterpiece of Late Gothic architecture in Upper Austria, with fine reticulated vaulting (c. 1520) in the nave.
Mühlviertel is 30km/18mi to the southwest of Zwettl's Burg Rappottenstein.