Schärding is a Baroque town in Upper Austria in the Innviertel region close to the border with Bavaria. Its architecture is a mix of many styles and periods, the highlight probably being the Baroque “Silberzeile” row of houses, an astonishing ensemble of Baroque buildings.
Understand
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Rich market traders used to live in the Silberzeile row, lending its name to the place because they had pockets full of silver. The late-medieval colours of the old gates, the narrow and mysterious side streets – all this makes Schärding such a very special place indeed. In summer, it is mainly cyclists that flock to the town, while winter is a perfect time to enjoy the peace and quiet near the River Inn, with a beautiful river esplanade where you can relax and unwind. Or else you could take a beautiful, insightful walk through the old town center and try to imagine what life in the Middle Ages must have been like.
The town lies opposite Neuhaus am Inn on the right bank of the River Inn, about 15 km south of the three-river city of Passau. With the Peace of Teschen in 1779, it passed from the Electorate of Bavaria (Palatinate-Bavaria) to Austria, along with the Innviertel region, and remained part of Austria with only brief interruptions.
In the Middle Ages and the early modern period, Schärding was an important trading center for salt, which came from the salt mines in Hallein and Bad Reichenhall. Schärding was also a major transshipment point for other goods such as grain, wine, and textiles. The town was centrally located between the trading centers of Bavaria and Austria and benefited from the growing importance of trade in Europe.
Get in
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By plane
[edit]The Munich Airport (MUC IATA) (travel time on the motorway approx. 90 min) and the Linz Airport (LNZ IATA) They are easily accessible by car, bus, and train. Munich has significantly more connections, while Linz is somewhat closer.
By train
[edit]- 1 Schärding train station. It can be reached by the regional express train that runs between Linz and Passau . There is another train connection to Attnang-Puchheim via Ried im Innkreis. The nearest long-distance train station is Passau Hauptbahnhof.
By car
[edit]From Germany, the best route is via the A3 motorway to the Passau-Süd or Pocking exit, then continue for 7 km on the main road B512 and cross the Inn River, which forms the border. From Vienna and Linz, take the A8 Innkreis motorway to the Suben exit and from there continue for 10 km B148, or alternatively (and toll-free) via the Innviertler Straße. From Munich, the shortest route is via the A94 motorway (B137 not yet fully completed) or the A92 motorway via Deggendorf and the A3 motorway, or via the main road that runs through the Rottal valley.
From Switzerland, go via Munich B388.
Get around
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The small old town is easily explored on foot. Parking is available at the Upper Town Square and on Silberzeile.
See
[edit]- The city centre with townhouses from the 16th to 19th centuries, especially in the Silberzeile.
- 1 The Catholic Parish Church of St. George (Die Stadtpfarrkirche St. Georg).
- The former Holy Spirit Civic Hospital Church. Now a hotel.
- 2 Schärding Castle (Burg Schärding). Remains of the castle, which burned down in 1724 and 1775, with outer gate, containing the city museum.
- Schärding City Museum, Schlossgasse, A-4780 Schärding, ☏ +43 7712 3154 700, [email protected].
- 3 Grantimuseum Schlossgasse, 10, A-4780 Schärding, ☏ +43 7712 3154700.
- 4 Linz Gate (Linzer Tor).
- 5 Water Gate (Wassertor).
- 6 Passauer Gate (Passauertor).
- 7 Götzturm. A tower.
- 8 Schärding Town Hall (Rathaus Schärding), Lower Town Square 1.
- 9 Orangery Baroque garden (Barockgarten Orangerie).
Nearby
[edit]- 10 Parish Church of St. Florian on the Inn (Pfarrkirche St. Florian am Inn), St. Florian am Inn 8. A listed Gothic parish church.
- 11 Maria Brunnenthal pilgrimage church (Wallfahrtskirche Maria Brunnenthal), Dorfstrasse 8, 4786 Brunnenthal. With a healing spring. Approximately a 20-minute walk from Schärding train station, Brunnenthal east exit.
Do
[edit]Excursions
[edit]The surrounding area, with the southern foothills of the Bohemian Massif, including the Bohemian Forest and the Bavarian Forest, offers a wide range of excursion and sightseeing opportunities on both the Upper Austrian and Lower Bavarian sides:
- Passau, the city of three rivers
- Neuhaus am Inn with Neuhaus am Inn Castle on the other side of the Inn River.
- Neuburg am Inn - high above the Inn valley (on the Bavarian banks of the Inn) sits Neuburg Castle , whose roots date back to the 11th century.
- The beautiful Trinity Church in the Dommelstadl district of Neuburg.
Vornbach Monastery in the Inn floodplain slightly north on the German bank; nearby is the Vornbach Gorge, a breakthrough of the Inn between the Neuburg Forest on the German side and the Sauwald on the Austrian side.
- Vichtenstein Castle high above the Danube west of Engelhartszell (can only be viewed from the outside)
- Engelhartszell with Trappist monastery Engelszell, accessible via the Sauwaldstraße B136 (30 km).
- Augustinian Canons' Monastery of Reichersberg, opposite the Bavarian town of Bad Füssing.