Mattig

The Mattig is a 55-kilometre river that rises in the Ursprung Moor north of Salzburg city. It flows north through the Salzburger Seengebiet and into Upper Austria, passing the town of Mattighofen which gives the river its name. Near Braunau it joins the Inn after a journey that includes loops through the Obertrumer See and Grabensee. The Mattig’s steady flow is shaped by the lakes it crosses, giving it a gentle gradient for most of its length. Its largest tributary, the Schwemmbach, drains a bigger catchment than the Mattig itself yet remains less well known. Along the river’s course there are still stretches of natural banks lined with alder and ash, while the lower reaches were straightened in the late 19th century after severe floods. Visitors can follow the Mattig’s path through quiet farmland and wooded banks where fish such as barbel and brown trout live. Otters and rare crayfish also use these waters, and dragonflies and mayflies hover above the surface. At the river’s mouth near Braunau the channel is canal-like, but upstream the landscape remains largely unspoilt, offering a glimpse of the region’s traditional water-powered mills.