Devil's Church

Welcome to the Teufelskirche in Neustift im Mühlkreis.

The Devil's Church is a rock tower where, according to legend, the devil once held mass.

Black rock and devil's church (legend):
Riedl in the Bavarian countryside was once home to three strong, bold black bears. Night after night, they crept through the rocky Rannaschlucht gorge to Austria with bulging sacks of tobacco or flour. On the Wildersteig trail, you traipsed up the Leiten to the Schwärzefelsen rock. In its cave you can hide the smuggled goods. This is where merchants and other customers collected the cheap Bavarian goods. Because the three Schwärzer traveled night after night, they always slept during the day. They did the same on Sundays. That's why they didn't come to Sunday service for years. You would sometimes stand at the top of the Penzenstein when the heavy ringing of the bells down in Engelhartszell carried a solemn atmosphere into the Danube valley. That made your heart ache a little. But when you thought of the long distances to the church, you lost all desire to go to church. On a clear Sunday morning, the three of them trotted back home to Riedl. Their path led them west of the Rannariedl gallows past a rock tower. As they walked past unsuspectingly, organ music sounded from it. Curious, you stopped, came closer and saw the evil one in the rocky crevice. He approached you in a friendly manner and invited you to his mass. However, the strong bears were suddenly overcome with fear, made a cross and rushed home, panting. The three bold brothers did some soul-searching, attended mass every Sunday and stopped blacking out. The rock near the gallows in Rannariedl has been called the Devil's Church ever since their terrible experience.

The Teufelskirche is located near the Burgherrenweg or Donausteig trail.