Hohenstein

The Hohenstein stands in the Türnitzer Alpen of Lower Austria, a steep-sided mountain whose rocky northwest face gives it its name. It rises six kilometres north of Türnitz and marks the boundary between Lilienfeld and Kirchberg an der Pielach. The border also separates two districts, Lilienfeld from St. Pölten. From the summit the view stretches west and northwest across the Danube to the Ötscher and the Toten Gebirge on clear days.

At the summit cross stands the Otto-Kandler-Haus, a 1905 refuge run by the St. Pölten section of the Austrian Alpine Club. It offers twenty-five dormitory beds and was the first Lower Austrian alpine hut to receive the Austrian Alpine Club’s environmental quality seal in 2007. The surrounding countryside remains a quiet, restful upland landscape despite the hut’s century-long tradition as a walking destination.

Several marked paths lead up the mountain, each with considerable height gain from the valleys below. One route climbs from Schöngraben past the Schöngrabenspitze and Ebenwiesen, finishing on the steep Tradigister Steig in two to two and a half hours. Another starts at Zögersbach, passes through the Engleitengraben and over the Engleitensattel in the same time. A third, more scenic option goes via the Himmelalm and Engleitensattel in about three hours. The summit zone is home to Alpine ibex.