Granatzweg - Ein Weg entlang einer historischen Grenze

The Garnet Trail entices visitors to look into the countryside and immerse themselves in the history of a former border region.
The Granatzweg runs along the old Bavaria-Innviertel border from Geiersberg to St. Willibald and can also be walked in individual sections. The Garnet Trail starts in the municipality of Geiersberg, a small, modest village in the Innviertel region.

What goes beyond this modesty, however, is the parish church. The stately church with its 47 metre high tower is unparalleled in the surrounding communities. The church in Geiersberg is also the only Leonhard church in the Innviertel. Three bells hang in the tower, the oldest and largest of which dates back to 1512 (500 years). It is thanks to their venerable age that they were not used as ore for cannons during the two world wars.

Directions:

When the border was moved westwards, Geiersberg also lost its importance as a border town and the customs barrier next to the church was dismantled.
The border also ran through our parish church. The bricked-up "Schwärzertor" gate on the south side of the church is a reminder of the unauthorised smuggling of goods through the church.
When the border had long since ceased to exist, it still remained in use: when the farmers from Schernham mowed their western meadows in the direction of Hatting, they would say: "Now we're going to Bavaria!" Today, when the school bus takes the children from Thaling, Aschbrechting, Breiningsham, Willmerting, Oberlemberg and Obermauer home, they say: "The bus is travelling in the Granatz!"

The Granatzweg in Pram runs along the western border of the municipality and marks the dividing line granatz = border, which was drawn between Bavaria and the Duchy of Austria in 1156.

Pram, from the Celtic prama = Krebsbach, is mentioned as early as 903 in a deed of foundation by the Bavarian King Ludwig IV. Assigned to the Duchy of Austria in 1156, Pram became a border community with Bavaria.
This border location also became a challenge for the population, so-called "defence villages" (Gerhartsbrunn,...) emerged and in the peasant wars the population fought back against grievances and high burdens.
In 1702, this border situation became noticeable again during the Wars of the Spanish Succession, until the border was abolished in 1779.

Route description:

Starting from Geiersberg (Gh. Mayr), the former border station between Bavaria and Austria in Geiersberg, follow the signposts over gentle, partly wooded ridges along the western Pramer municipal border to Taiskirchen.

The easy 7.5 km high-level hiking trail offers plenty of variety, but also relaxation: benches, a viewing platform, information boards on geology and history, an "art mile" designed by artists from the region, a tree house and play stations for children, as well as a nice educational forest trail, which gives a little insight into the composition of our forests, invite you to linger.

If you would like to find out more about the region, you can visit other sights (the Furthmühle mill museum in Pram, the Renaissance Feldegg castle, the parish church in Pram with works by Schwanthaler, the blacksmith museum in Gries, the peasant war memorial on Schulterberg, etc.) or enjoy a tasty snack at the garnet inns.

The Granatzweg in Taiskirchen offers a marvellous view of around 30 church towers on paved hiking and meadow paths!

The municipality of Taiskirchen, first mentioned in a document in 1120, belonged to the county of Formbach, a powerful noble family in eastern Bavaria. The south-eastern municipal border with Pram and Dorf an der Pram was also the Bavarian-Austrian state border until 1779.

Taiskirchen's former affiliation with Bavaria has not only left a lasting mark on the dialect and mentality of the people, but also historical traces, such as a state boundary stone on the municipal border with Pram or the boundary stone relief in the pub panelling at the inn on the market square. The Bavarian white and blue diamond pattern can also be found in a wall painting on the ceiling of the Gothic nave and in the municipal coat of arms.

Directions:

Starting from the tranquil, unspoilt Altmannsdorf reservoir, the trail leads through the village of Taiskirchen, where you can indulge in culinary delights. You can also visit the themed garden "Leben am Teich" ("Life by the pond") at the Wirt am Markt inn. Well fortified, the route continues to the "Kapuzinerbankerl" vantage point, from where you can see up to 30 church towers and communities on a clear day, and on to the Gumpingerkreuz in the direction of the Pramer border.

The Granatzweg in Dorf an der Pram invites you to enjoy the idyllic landscape and quench your thirst for knowledge with good food and drink.

Although first mentioned in a document in 1371, the area around the present-day municipality of Dorf an der Pram became Austrian at the end of the 12th century after Traungau fell to the Babenbergs. The Pram was a border river and it was not until 1816, when the Innviertel finally became part of Austria after many wars, that the border moved to the Inn.

After the establishment of districts and municipalities in Austria, the municipality of Dorf became part of the district of Ried im Innkreis around 1850 and a little later the district of Schärding. However, the parish of Dorf an der Pram still belongs to the Landler deanery of Kallham.

Route description:

Starting from the Altmannsdorf reservoir, the trail leads towards Viertelbach via Stögen and Parting to Schatzdorf. A junction in Viertelbach leads via St. Nikola and Hinterndobl, where you can visit Hinterndobl Castle, a memorial to the Peasants' War by Achatz Willinger, to Schatzdorf. From here, a newly constructed footpath leads via Pimingsdorf to the centre of Dorf an der Pram. The Granatzweg leads along the Pramtal road directly from Dorf an der Pram to the Habetswohl junction and on to the municipal boundary of Riedau.
The family-friendly route continues along easily accessible country lanes via Habetswohl to the municipal boundary of Riedau.

With a wide range of culinary delights - from well-run snack stops and a traditional inn in the centre to a two-hat restaurant in Kumpfmühl - there should also be enough refreshments to stop off at one or two sights along the way: the St. Nikola branch church, the tractor museum in Obernparz, the "Zupfing 2" gas drilling platform in Thalling or the fish ladders in Stögen and Hohenerlach.

The Garnet Trail in Riedau is characterised by a wide variety of landscapes on several different hiking routes.

In the middle of a green meadow, surrounded to the south by the hills of the Hausruckviertel and to the north by the foothills of the Sauwald forest, the municipality of Riedau nestles on the gentle banks of the Pram.

As a former Austrian border town to neighbouring Bavaria, Riedau can look back on an eventful history: elevated to a market town by Emperor Maximilian I in 1515, Riedau was only briefly Bavarian during the Napoleonic Wars until it finally reverted to Upper Austria in 1816.

Directions:

Coming from Dorf an der Pram, the trail leads via the village of Friedwagn to the "Friedwagn" viewpoint. Via the village of Birkenallee you reach the centre of Riedau. Alternatively, from the Friedwagn vantage point you can take the beautiful high-level hiking trail via Pomedt, Habach and Bayrisch-Habach and reach Riedau via the village of Berg.

Once you arrive in Riedau, you can relax and recharge your batteries in the airy guest gardens of the Riedau restaurants. Before continuing along the Pram to Zell an der Pram, you should definitely visit the Lignorama wood museum.

The Granatzweg in Zell an der Pram enchants on its course along the renaturalised Pram with the sight of the magnificent castle and the "Innviertler Dom".

Whichever direction you approach Zell an der Pram from, the neo-classical parish church, also known as the "Innviertler Dom", and the castle, which houses a regional education centre, characterise the image of the municipality. Particularly worth seeing is the castle's two-storey banqueting hall with ceiling and wall paintings from Greek mythology and genre paintings from aristocratic country life.

Directions:

The Granatzweg in the municipality of Zell an der Pram leads from Riedau along the cycle and hiking path along the Pram to the castle. The route continues eastwards, where you return to the historic border route via a ridge with great views at Holzedt. Behind the Wirt z'Krena inn, you leave the municipal area heading north to the Steindlberg wind farm.

If you would like to stay longer in Zell, you can visit various "Marterlwege" (wayside shrines) as well as other sights, such as the "Sallabergerhaus" or the Gothic filial church in Jebling.
The cosy inns in the village centre and in Krena offer refreshment stops.

The Granatzweg trail in Altschwendt is 4.6 kilometres long and is a feast for the eyes with its peaceful, gently undulating and predominantly agricultural landscape.

The municipality of Altschwendt was first mentioned in a document from Vornbach-Suben Abbey in 1238 as "Altswent". 28 chapels and small monuments bear witness to the strong religious roots of the residential community. In addition to written records, the name of a farmhouse, the "Kronawitter" (Granetzwitterb), which means "frontiersman" or "the one who lives on the border", remains from its time as a border community.

Due to its geographical location, Altschwendt is considered the "watershed" between Aschach and Pram. The wind farm with five wind turbines is visible from afar and has become a landmark of the municipality.

Directions:

Starting from Krena (Zell/Pram), the trail first leads along a gravel road after one of the last hollow paths, on which you also pass two wind turbines. Along this part of the route you can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Hausruckviertel in the east and the Pramtal in the west.
The route then continues along the Rödham farm track to Altschwendt. A good place to stop for refreshments is the Doblinger inn, where you can visit the statue of the "smoking woman" in the chapel on request. The very simple parish church (19th century) is also worth a visit. You then continue via Altenseng to St. Willibald.

The Garnet Trail in St. Willibald offers hikers plenty of variety on an easy, mainly asphalted route, but also leads through meadows, fields and woodland for around 4 kilometres.
The area was already inhabited in Celtic and Roman times. Today's "Roman Trail" on the northern ridge of the municipality is a reminder of this.
While the Antlangbach was mentioned in documents as early as 777 as "fluenta Antalanga" and the village of Aichet in 1110, St. Willibald only appears by name for the first time towards the end of the 15th century as "sand Willbald". Nevertheless, the village prevailed as the main town until 1850, when it became a municipality by law. The parish, which had initially belonged to Suben Abbey, became independent as early as 1782.

While St. Willibald was once purely agricultural, today it is a craft and industrial community with around 300 jobs.

Route description:

The route of the Garnet Trail first leads through the municipality of Raab and continues in Kleinpireth via Patrichsham and Aichet to St. Willibald. Both the parish church (17th century) and the branch church of St Jakob (15th century), both of which have been completely renovated and are open during the day, are well worth a visit.
Two inns in the village centre and three smaller restaurants invite you to stop for a snack or a good meal.