Pfarrkirche St. Nikolaus

The church is dedicated to St Nicholas. This patronage points to a very early origin, as the oldest places on the Danube are dedicated to St Nicholas, the patron saint of boatmen and carters.

The importance of the Danube as a trade route is complemented today by its attractiveness as a cycle route. Cyclists who visit this church will not only do so for the art, but will also make a pilgrimage to St Nicholas.

The parish of Mauthausen has belonged to St Florian's Abbey since 1122. It was originally a parish of the neighbouring parish of Ried/Riedmark. Mauthausen became an independent parish in 1613 and has been looked after by the canons of St Florian's Abbey ever since.

During renovation work in 1982, the foundation walls of a Romanesque church and the remains of an early Gothic apse were discovered. Today's church is a two-aisled late Gothic hall church with a ribbed vault made of sandstone. It was built in the 15th century. In 1708, the church was partially baroqueised and baroque altars were installed.

The high altar with tabernacle is a sign of God's presence in our midst for us believers. At the end of the 18th century, the famous Baroque painter Johann Martin Schmidt, known as "Kremser Schmidt", created the following pictures for the high altar, which correspond to the festive seasons:

English Greeting (Advent), Nativity (Christmas), Resurrection (Easter), Last Supper (Maundy Thursday, Corpus Christi). Two further alternating pictures - St Nicholas and The Crucified - come from the workshop of Kremser Schmidt. The Assumption of Mary and the Pentecost picture were painted in the 19th century.