Bürgl

The Bürgl is a 745-metre mountain on the eastern shore of Lake Wolfgang in Upper Austria’s Salzkammergut. It rises about 200 metres above the lake and overlooks the water from its steep slopes. The border between Upper Austria and Salzburg runs just south of the summit, marked by the so-called ‘silk-thread line’. A lakeside footpath circles the mountain, crossing wooden bridges where the shore is steep. The only routes to the top are unmarked climbs. The Bürgl’s hard Plassen limestone resisted the great Traun glacier that once filled the valley. A small geopark on the southern flank shows panels about the geology of the Wolfgangsee region and displays the main rock types. Nearby iron-ore workings from the Middle Ages survive as remnants of old adits on the northern side. These traces recall the brief medieval mining that once took place here. Visitors find a quiet loop trail around the lakeside with fine views across the water to St Wolfgang. Wooden bridges carry the path over rocky points, and benches offer places to rest. The geopark’s signs explain how glaciers shaped the land and what kinds of stone lie beneath their feet. On the northern slopes, old spoil heaps and shallow tunnels mark where iron was once dug out. The summit itself is reached by rough, unmarked paths that climb through forest and open rock.