Sankt Michael: Fortified Church and Michaelerberg

If you would like to combine cultural history with outdoor activities on your trip, Sankt Michael offers a variety of options: the fortified Church of St. Michael and its ensemble, as well as Michaelerberg and two routes with different courses. This allows you to focus your trip on historic buildings, scenic views or a specific route.

Church of St. Michael and its historic ensemble

The Church of St. Michael was first mentioned in a document in 987 and was once the mother church of the Wachau. The present-day church is a Late Gothic hall church with stepped naves and a Baroque interior. Its former ecclesiastical role and its present architectural form offer two different perspectives on local history. The parish of St. Michael is considered the oldest parish in the Wachau.

The church complex is surrounded by a well-preserved fortification dating from the 15th century. The Gothic charnel house from the 14th century stands beside the church. At the southeast corner of the fortification is a massive round tower, which has served as an observation tower since 1958. The fortified Church of St. Michael is one of Lower Austria’s outstanding buildings of this kind.

The charnel house has an unusual interior: remains of mummies are kept in display cases, alongside Josephine coffins and bones on the altar. This distinctive interior sets the charnel house apart in character from the other buildings in the church complex. The church itself is adorned on the choir ridge with terracotta sculptures of deer and horses, known as the “hares.”

Local history extends beyond the ecclesiastical heritage: copper mining at Arzberg near St. Michael in the Wachau is mentioned around 1260. This reference to mining adds another historical focus to the story of the church and the fortifications.

Michaelerberg and routes through the landscape

Michaelerberg offers views over Spitz and the Danube. Its gently sloping dry grasslands are a habitat for unique plants and animals. This brings two distinct aspects into focus: views of Spitz and the Danube, and the mountain’s special habitat.

The routes differ in their courses. The St. Michael Höhenweg trail runs through oak and hornbeam woodland before descending into the Mieslingtal valley. The St. Michael circular trail crosses Michaelerberg to the fortified church and returns to Spitz along the Danube. The route is a useful point of comparison when choosing between them: the Höhenweg passes through woodland and the Mieslingtal valley, while the circular trail takes you from Michaelerberg to the fortified church, then along the Danube, ending in Spitz. If you choose your route according to which of these landscapes and destinations you would like to include, the two descriptions make it easy to tell them apart. Conditions and route details may change; check them again before setting out.

Discover more destinations: Straß Im Straßertale, Bergern Im Dunkelsteinerwald, Grafenegg, Gedersdorf, Spitz, Schönberg Am Kamp, Dürnstein, Vießling.

See the broader travel overview: Krems-Land.