Filialkirche Trattenbach

The small Roman Catholic branch church in Trattenbach stands beside the road to Schoberstein, where the Trattenbach valley meets the Museumsdorf village trail. It was rebuilt in 1895 on a site that once housed a forge and grinding workshop from the 16th century. A nearby information board explains how the building’s past connects to the present Museum in der Wegscheid, which opened in 1998 inside the old workshop. The church’s worship space occupies the upper floor of the two-storey house, reached by a wooden door from the street. A tall interior was created by removing the ceiling, revealing plain white walls and a large carved wooden crucifix behind the altar. To the right, a life-size wooden Madonna stands in a niche, while warm red tones on the choir furnishings contrast with the blue cushions on the pews. Three coloured windows on each side and oval roof lights fill the room with daylight, and a small gallery above the entrance offers extra seating. Outside, the red-tiled roof slopes down to a tiny wooden bell tower topped with a golden cross. The single bell inside came from Schloss Steg, a manor at the point where the Trattenbach joins the Enns. Without this tower the building would look like any other house, but the golden cross marks it clearly as a place of prayer. The ground floor remains a private home, yet its upper room continues to welcome those who walk the valley trail.