Niederkappel: Danube Loops Trail

Many delicacies from the in-house bakery can be enjoyed in the integrated, cosy café.

The Danube flows leisurely past the Aumüller family home in Obermühl. An old cider press standing outside gives an idea that the "national drink" of the Upper Austrians has a home within these walls. Erich Aumüller is one of those producers who have elevated cider from a simple thirst quencher for farmers working in the fields to the quality league of the absolute top beverages with inexhaustible passion and expertise. With inexhaustible passion and an uncompromising commitment to quality, he has catapulted himself into the ranks of the best cider producers in Upper Austria. Aumüller has been a member of the select ranks of "Mostsommeliers" since 2007. The family business has long been known for its top-quality musts and exquisite fruit juices, and the Aumüllers' pear musts in particular have repeatedly been among the state winners and the best musts in Austria. Erich Aumüller enjoys sharing his love of cider with guests. If you book in advance, he will show you around his "sanctuary" and present his top musts at tastings. But beware: once you have had a taste of the world of cider in a seminar with Erich Aumüller, you can easily become infected with the cider virus. Cure absolutely impossible.

Cosy inn to stop off at in any season

A longitudinal ferry service has been set up on the Danube between the villages of Au (municipality of Hofkirchen) and Grafenau (municipality of Niederkappel) to transport cyclists and tourists.
The ferry service is also popular with hikers who want to return to their starting point after hiking along the Donauschlinge nature trail.

The Danube bus now also runs from Inzell to Au (upstream). This route is not offered downstream.
The Danube bus serves the Au-Grafenau route on the journey downstream and also stops in Inzell on the return journey upstream to take guests to Au.

The ferry runs from May to the end of September from 10:00 to 18:00 and in July and August from 9:30 to 18:00. The ferry runs at the ferry times as required!
Ferry telephone +43 699 11 15 25 78

The Gothic church dating from 1404-1411 had finally become too small in the 19th century. Calls for a new church to be built grew louder and louder. The well-known and probably most important bishop of Linz, Bishop Rudigier, encouraged the establishment of a fund to enlarge the church, and the village judge and local poet Ignaz Donabaur made the first donation in 1858.
The church was rebuilt between 1890 and 1895 and the plans for the "Mühlviertel Cathedral" were drawn up by Raimund Jeblinger, then master builder of the cathedral in Linz. The church was built at great sacrifice by the parish population. The parish and church patron saint is St. Andrew the Apostle. The church itself was consecrated in 1895, but the tower was not completed until 1907 and the organ was purchased in 1912.

During a group tour, you will learn about the construction history of the Mühlviertel cathedral and at the same time gain an exciting insight into a time of great religious and social upheaval, which also left its mark on a small village.

Since 1529 Haichenbach went to ruin. In later times even the name fell into oblivion. The ruins, around which many legends entwine, were named after the nearby Kerschbaumergut "Kerschbaumerschlößl" (legend: " "The tree snakes of Haichenbach" by Prof. Fritz Winkler).

The ruins have been converted into a viewing platform, from which there is a breathtaking view over the Danube loop Schlögen.

Info: Gemeindeamt Niederkappel
Tel.: +43 (0) 72 86 / 85 55

Die Wiese, vom Menschen geschaffener Lebensraum ...      
Wiesen sind mit einigen Ausnahmen vom Menschen geschaffene Lebensräume, die unter natürlichen Umständen allmählich verbuschen und in weiterer Folge verwalden würden. Im Laufe der Jahrtausende wurden die Wiesen aber zu wertvollen, artenreichen Lebensräumen, die es nun zu erhalten gilt. Besonders im oberen Donautal sind die Wiesen mit einem hohen Aufforstungsdruck bedroht, da sich die Bewirtschaftung an vielen Stellen scheinbar nicht mehr lohnt. Ein wertvoller Wiesentyp ist z.B. die Streuobstwiese, die traditionelle Form der Obstbaumbestände, die oft in unmittelbarer Nähe zu Bauernhäusern vorkommt. Die Bäume stehen in Reihen oder unregelmäßig, der Unterwuchs wird häufig als Weide genutzt. Sie stellt einen besonders artenreichen Lebensraum dar und beherbergt Insekten, Vogelarten, Säugetiere. Alte Baumhöhlen sind Brutplatz für viele Tierarten. Für den Menschen sind sie nicht nur Nahrungsquelle, sondern auch Verschönerer des Landschaftsbildes und Quelle der Erholung. Auch das eine oder andere gute Destillat und Most lassen sich in der Gegend erstehen.

In der Nähe von Grafenau gibt es den Jungfernsee - die Geschichte "Das steinerne Heu" erzählt, wie dieser See zu seinem Namen kam.