Attnang-Puchheim is a municipality in the Hausruckviertel in the
Vöcklabruck district in Upper Austria, at the intersection of the
Vienna – Salzburg (Westbahn) railway with the Salzkammergutbahn,
with 9100 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2020). The responsible
judicial district is Vöcklabruck. The confluence of the Aurach and
the Ager lies near Attnang-Puchheim.
Puchheim Palace
Around 800 years ago, a so-called fortress was
built, completely destroyed by fire in 1585, and then the castle was
rebuilt in its present form. Today Puchheim Castle houses a gallery for
contemporary art - the Puchheim Castle Gallery, and an art library.
Pilgrimage basilica Maria Puchheim
The ground-breaking ceremony for
the sanctuary took place on February 24, 1886 and the consecration on
August 5, 1890. However, the interior decoration and furnishing lasted
until August 1896. In 1951 the church was consecrated by Pope Pius XII.
It was raised to the status of "Basilica minor" and has also been a
parish church since the parish church "Maria Puchheim" was appointed on
February 1, 1968.
Attnang Parish Church
Due to the strong growth
of the town and the relocation of the center to the station, the
construction of a larger parish church became necessary. It was not
until 1951 that the completed church, which was built according to plans
by Hans Feichtlbauer, was consecrated by Prelate Leopold Hager, the
provost of the St. Florian monastery. Most of the interior fittings, in
a modern form but cast in one piece, come from the Klothilde Rauch
sculptor's workshop in Altmünster. The focal point above the high altar
is a crucifix by the sculptor Franz Forster from St. Florian, the glass
windows that match the style of the interior design come from the
Viennese company Greyling and are based on designs by the Viennese
painter Lucia Jirgal. The large and beautiful nativity scene is a work
by F. Binder (figures) and N. Stüger (landscape) from Steinkogl near
Ebensee.
Branch Church Alt-Attnang
First documented mention in
1367, probably built between the 9th and 11th centuries. Since the
completion of the Holy Spirit Church in the center of Attnang in 1936,
the Martinskirche has served the population mainly as a funeral and
wedding church.
Basement stage Puchheim
In 1965, Werner Böhm and a
few like-minded people founded a basement stage in the basement of the
Puchheim Basilica. Since then, 85 theater productions have been realized
there. A total of around 300 theater enthusiasts from Attnang-Puchheim
and the neighboring communities worked on it. In 1993 they started their
own children's and young people's branch. Since 1998, "N2O", the improv
group of the Puchheim basement stage, has provided monthly challenges.
Some conversion phases - most recently in 2009 - required investments in
the higher six-digit range. One of the results of this is the smallest
revolving stage, probably not only in Upper Austria but in the whole of
Austria. Today the auditorium offers space for 127 people with
consistently good visibility.
Getting There and Around
Train is the best option.
Attnang-Puchheim station is a genuine hub with Railjet, InterCity,
regional, and some night services. Direct or easy connections link it to
Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Gmunden, Bad Ischl, and further into the
Salzkammergut. The station itself is modern, barrier-free, and centrally
located with bus connections, taxis, and Park & Ride facilities (note
that some parking has moved to paid systems in recent years).
By car,
the A1 Westautobahn provides quick access (nearby exits toward Regau or
similar). The town center is compact and walkable. Cycling is excellent
for the flat-to-gently rolling surroundings and riverside paths; the
area connects to regional routes including sections of the Römerradweg.
Main Sights in Town
Schloss Puchheim and Wallfahrtsbasilika Maria
Puchheim form the standout ensemble. The baroque castle complex (with
earlier roots) sits in the Puchheim quarter and now includes the
Redemptorist monastery, the pilgrimage basilica, the Maximilianhaus
education center, a gallery, and related buildings. The complex and its
park reward a stroll; the basilica is an active place of worship and
pilgrimage. An Advent market is traditionally held here, adding seasonal
atmosphere. The site pairs naturally with the nearby nature area.
Martinskirche is one of the oldest structures, with possible origins in
the 9th–11th centuries and documentary mention from 1367. It offers a
quiet historical counterpoint and elevated views over the town and
surroundings.
Puchheimer Au is a landscape-protection (and partly
nature-reserve) area of floodplain forest and former pond systems along
the Ager river. The roughly 2 km Naturlehrpfad (nature trail) starts
near the stairs down to the ponds by the basilica. It features about 23
stations covering local flora, fauna, herbs, trees, geology, and
history. The path is family-friendly, largely accessible, free, and open
year-round. It is ideal for a relaxed walk, birdwatching, or introducing
children to the environment. Occasional guided tours are offered by the
municipality.
Other local notes include the modernized railway
station (with its WWII history and residual industrial character), the
Spitzberg leisure center (outdoor pool Apumare, sauna, fitness
facilities, skating areas), the Friday morning weekly market on the
Rathausplatz, the Heimathaus local-history museum, and the LOK cultural
center for concerts, theater, and exhibitions. Short walks or cycles
reach viewpoints and smaller green spaces.
Nearby Day Trips and
Nature
Traunfall: A broad (roughly 200 m), approximately 12 m high
waterfall on the Traun, modified by historic navigation works and later
hydroelectric structures. It was voted one of Upper Austria’s most
beautiful places in 2017. Easy access by short drive, taxi from the
station, or public transport; short walks and viewpoints exist. It
combines well with riverside paths.
Salzkammergut lakes, especially
Attersee (Austria’s largest inland lake): Reachable by train or car for
swimming, sailing, boat trips, lakeside walks, and mountain views. Other
lakes and resorts (Gmunden, etc.) are straightforward day trips.
Hiking and cycling: Easy-to-moderate routes include the Mariannenhöhe
circuit (with Stations of the Cross and views toward the Höllengebirge
and Traunstein), paths around the castle and Au, and longer rides into
the Hausruckwald or along rivers.
Practical Visiting Tips
Best
time: Late June to late August offers the warmest weather for outdoor
activities and lake visits (average highs in the low-to-mid 20s °C, with
rain possible). Spring and early autumn are excellent for walking and
fewer crowds. Winter suits Advent markets, indoor culture, and a quieter
base for snow-covered countryside day trips.
Food and drink: Expect
classic Upper Austrian/Austrian fare in Gasthäuser and inns—Wiener
Schnitzel, Tafelspitz, regional sausages such as Käsekrainer, dumplings,
apple strudel, and local beer or Most (cider). Friday market is good for
produce and atmosphere. Prices are moderate compared with more touristed
lake towns.
Accommodation: Options cluster near the station and in
the town center (hotels, guesthouses, apartments). The location works
well as an overnight or multi-night base for rail travelers exploring
the lakes and mountains without paying premium Salzkammergut rates every
night.
Other practical points: The town is safe and quiet. German is
the everyday language; basic English is often understood in transport
and hospitality settings. Cash and cards are widely accepted. Check
current opening times for the basilica, gallery, and any temporary
events via the municipal site (attnang-puchheim.at) or the regional
tourism office (Hausruckwald / Quellenviertel area). Combine the castle,
nature trail, and a short train ride outward for an efficient day or
half-day.
Attnang-Puchheim rewards visitors who treat it as a
functional, historically layered gateway rather than a destination
filled with must-see spectacles. Its strength lies in the railway
convenience, the compact castle-and-nature pairing, and the immediate
access it gives to the lakes and hills of the Salzkammergut.
Location and Extent
Coordinates are approximately 48°01′N 13°43′E
(more precisely around 48.01667°N 13.71972°E). The main settlement sits
at 416 m above sea level. The municipality covers 12.32 km² and extends
roughly 4.8 km north–south and 4.1 km east–west.
It lies between
Vöcklabruck (to the west/southwest) and Schwanenstadt (to the
northeast). The town is often called the “Door to the Salzkammergut”
(Tor zum Salzkammergut) because of its role as the primary railway
gateway from the main Vienna–Salzburg corridor into the lake district to
the south.
Neighboring municipalities are:
North: Pilsbach,
Pühret, Redlham
East: Desselbrunn
South/Southwest: Regau
West:
Vöcklabruck
The municipality consists of a single cadastral
community (Katastralgemeinde Attnang-Puchheim) and includes several
settlements (Ortschaften), notably Attnang (the core), Puchheim,
Niederstraß, Oberstraß, and smaller ones such as Hohenbaumgarten,
Steinhübl, and Sonnleithen.
Terrain and Physical Landscape
Attnang-Puchheim occupies the flat to gently undulating terrace
landscape of the Ager valley (part of the Vöckla-Agertal nature region)
and transitions northward and northwestward into the knobby hills of the
Inn- und Hausruckviertler Hügelland on the margin of the Hausruck ridge.
Elevations within the municipal boundary range from about 405 m in the
lower terrace and alluvial zones to around 510 m on higher peripheral
hills. The core town and railway area sit on a broad lower terrace.
Local relief includes:
Distinct terrace edges and escarpments
(10–30 m high in places, with steeper features such as the Mariannenhöhe
reaching ~70 m above the Ager in nearby sectors).
The Spitzberg, a
remnant high-terrace hill near the historic core of Attnang. Its western
flank was heavily quarried for gravel during railway expansion in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Gently rising, forested or mixed
agricultural hills toward the Hausruck margin.
The landscape is
predominantly human-modified: open agricultural plains and meadows on
the terraces give way to denser woodland on the hills. Residual alluvial
features (Auwald) occur along the Ager, notably in the Puchheimer Au
area.
Geology and Soils
The area belongs to the northern
Alpine foreland. Tertiary molasse deposits (fine sandy to clayey
“Schlier” sediments from a former marine basin) form the deeper
substrate. These were later covered and dissected by Quaternary gravels
deposited by Alpine rivers during glacial and interglacial phases,
creating the present terrace system. Lignite-bearing freshwater
sediments occur in the broader Hausruck zone.
Dominant soils are
lime-free loose-sediment brown earths (Braunerden). They are generally
permeable, moderately dry to well-drained, and suitable for arable
farming, though some slopes are prone to slippage. Younger gravelly
alluvial soils appear near the Ager.
Hydrology
The Ager River
system dominates the hydrology. The Ager, the outflow of the Attersee,
flows eastward/northeastward through the broader valley past
Attnang-Puchheim toward Schwanenstadt before joining the Traun (and
ultimately the Danube).
Near the municipal boundary (between Wankham
in Regau and Sicking in Desselbrunn), the Aurach joins the Ager as a
right-bank tributary. The Aurach rises in the Höllengebirge and flows
through the Alpine foothills before this confluence (approximate
coordinates 48°00′20″N 13°44′16″E).
Local streams include the
Redlbach (with connections to the Ottnanger Redlbach system),
Kohlaichbach, Sonnleitenbach (or Sonnleithenbach), Weißbach, and smaller
channels. Drainage generally directs toward the Ager. Sections of these
watercourses range from relatively natural meandering stretches with
bank vegetation to regulated or channelized reaches, especially near
settlement and industry. Small standing waters (fish ponds) exist near
the historic Puchheim palace/monastery area. Residual alluvial forest
fragments and bankside woodland remain important ecological features.
Land Use
Approximate land-cover figures (early 2000s data, still
broadly representative):
Forest: ~38.7–39 %
(coniferous/spruce-dominated stands especially on the Hausruck hills;
mixed and deciduous forests, including oak-hornbeam and beech
associations, on terrace edges and warmer sites; residual alluvial
forests along streams).
Agriculture: ~36.3–36.6 % (arable fields and
intensive grassland/meadows on the terraces).
Built-up areas,
gardens, transport infrastructure, and other uses make up the remainder.
The central zone around the railway junction is densely settled and
industrial, while outer parts retain a more rural character of fields,
orchards, and scattered farmsteads.
Potential natural vegetation
includes submontane oak-hornbeam forests, beech-fir forests, and various
alluvial woodland types. Current forests show strong anthropogenic
influence, with spruce plantations common.
Climate
The climate
is mid-European transitional (suboceanic influences). Summers are cool
and humid; winters are mild to cold with snow. West winds frequently
bring moist Atlantic air.
Data from the nearby Vöcklabruck station
(applicable to the area) indicate:
Annual mean temperature around
7.7 °C.
Annual precipitation approximately 1,049 mm, with a maximum
in July and 25–30 days with thunderstorms.
Continuous snow cover
typically lasts about 75 days (late December to February).
Frost
occurs on roughly 95 days, with about 35 ice days.
The growing
season generally runs from mid-April to late October. Local
microclimates vary slightly between the open terrace and the more
sheltered or elevated hill margins.
Attnang and Puchheim developed from settlements of Bavarian
immigrants in the late 8th century to the beginning of the 11th century.
Puchheim was first mentioned in a document in 1135 as Pucheman ('Heim
bei der Buche') and Attnang in 1242 as Otinange ('Wang des Otto'). It
was not until 1912 that the community name Puchheim was changed to
Attnang-Puchheim due to the growing importance of the district of
Neu-Attnang.
In some writings, the year 1050 is mentioned as the
date of construction of the fortress on the grove on the beech hill, but
this cannot be documented. In 1585 the fortress burned down completely.
Puchheim Palace, which was built in the years that followed, essentially
corresponds to its current form.
The history of Attnang and
Puchheim was mainly influenced by the owners of the Puchheim Fortress
until 1870. Today the castle with the beautiful arcaded courtyard is a
monastery and is owned by the Redemptorists who were called to Puchheim
for pastoral care. These were summoned in 1851 by Archduke Maximilian
Joseph of Austria-Este, who was then the lord of Puchheim Castle. The
forelock is owned by the municipality and the diocese of Linz.
The last Spanish pretender to the throne of the first Carlist dynasty,
Alfonso Carlos (I.) of Bourbon and Austria-Este, who died in 1936, and
his wife Maria das Neves of Portugal, as well as the Duchess Maria
Antonia of Bourbon, were in the palace chapel, which is dedicated to St.
George -Parma 1959 and her son Prince René de Bourbon-Parma 1962 buried.
The last Austrian Empress, Zita von Bourbon-Parma, visited Austria
in 1982 after a long exile after Federal Chancellor Bruno Kreisky had
made it possible for her – contrary to the law – to enter Austria
without renouncing the throne. She came to Puchheim to commemorate her
mother, Maria Antonia von Bourbon-Parma, at the grave.
Under
Rector P. Matthias Paprian, the large pilgrimage basilica Maria Puchheim
was built from 1886 to 1890, which was inaugurated in 1951 by Pius XII.
was elevated to the status of a minor basilica. It contains a Breinbauer
organ from 1891. With 1,647 pipes on 24 registers, it is an instrument
of medium-sized construction, which is quite large for the period of the
romantic organs of the 19th century. Orgelbau Kuhn from Männedorf
renovated the instrument in 2006. The valuable instrument is also used
in concerts.
With the construction of the Salzkammergut Railway
and its commissioning in 1877, the development of the town became a
significant railway junction, since Attnang-Puchheim was already the
terminus and transhipment point of the Niederstrasser Railway, Austria's
first coal railway.
Towards the end of the Second World War,
Attnang-Puchheim was severely damaged by American bombing raids on April
21, 1945, mainly because the Allies feared supplies for the alleged Nazi
Alpine fortress. The attack by 300 aircraft lasted three hours. At least
700 people died in the hail of bombs (from 2340 bombs with 640 tons of
explosives), including many refugees from the eastern territories and
from Silesia who were hit on trains at the station. The station also
served as a transfer station for a secret rocket test facility in the
Redl-Zipf concentration camp. The attack made Attnang-Puchheim the city
with the highest death rate in Austria during World War II.
After
the end of the war, Attnang-Puchheim became an important place with
industry and trade as well as a large train station due to the
reconstruction; here the locomotives had to be re-tensioned because
electrification ended in Attnang.
In 1955 it was decided to make
Attnang-Puchheim a market town because of the great reconstruction
effort after the war. On March 3, 1990, it was elevated to the status of
a city.