With its impressive facade and stucco decorations, the Benedictine Abbey is the most popular attraction in Altenburg. It was rebuilt to its present form after being destroyed in the Middle Ages.
In the upper Schmida valley lies the pretty little town of Eggenburg (325m/1,066ft; pop. 4,000), with the Gothic parish church of St Stephan (1482-1537; Romanesque towers) and the Krahuletz Museum of Prehistory.
Address: Eggenburg Tourist Office, Krahuletzplatz 1, A-3730 Eggenburg, Austria
This annual festival runs from mid-August to early September. The events take place in various venues, including the Breiteneich Palace, as well as local abbeys and mansions.
8km/5mi north of Eggenburg lies Pulkau (280m/919ft; pop. 1,500), with the Gothic Heiligenblutkirche which contains a large winged altarpiece of C. 1520. There is also a 14th C. charnel house.
Address: Pulkau Tourist Office, A-3741 Pulkau, Austria
Schloss Greillenstein (16th and 17th C.) is a building with four wings and a massive tower. The interior features a fine library and a museum of criminal law.
Address: Schloss Greillenstein, A-3592 Altenburg, Austria