Kirchdorf Am Inn: Nature and History on the Lower Inn

Kirchdorf Am Inn combines its location right on the Inn Cycle Path with the stepped landscape of the Lower Inn and the Lower Inn European Nature Reserve. Visitors who want to include nature, trails and local history in their trip will find several distinct themes here. These include riparian forests and birdlife, as well as religious traditions and Katzenberg Castle. When planning your trip, it helps to distinguish between these aspects: trails and landscapes shape the connection with nature, while the church, castle and festival traditions add a cultural perspective on Kirchdorf.

Landscape, birdlife and trails

The stepped landscape of the Lower Inn is particularly pronounced in Kirchdorf Am Inn; at the same time, the town lies in the heart of the Lower Inn European Nature Reserve. Up to 300 bird species breed in its unspoilt riparian forests. The terrain and breeding birds describe different aspects of the landscape: on the one hand, the distinctive character of the Lower Inn, and on the other, the riparian forest habitat.

Kirchdorf Am Inn is located right on the Inn Cycle Path. The “Lower Inn European Nature Reserve” viewing platform is right on the Inn Cycle Route. The Castle Hiking Trail passes a viewing platform overlooking the Lower Inn protected area. After about one kilometre along the Inn Cycle Path, the Inn Hiking Trail ends back in Kirchdorf Am Inn. The trails differ in their specific features: the Castle Hiking Trail offers a view of the protected area, while the Inn Hiking Trail covers an approximate distance before returning to Kirchdorf.

Religious traditions and Katzenberg Castle

As early as the mid-16th century, the parish church of Kirchdorf Am Inn was an important Marian pilgrimage site and it contains tomb monuments of the owners of Katzenberg Castle. Thus, the history of pilgrimage and the memory of the castle’s owners come together in one church building. The Feast of the Sacred Heart is also part of the town’s history: it has been celebrated with ceremony since 1903, and a procession takes place on Sacred Heart Sunday. The Lourdes Chapel was built in 1901 following the miraculous healing of Aloisia Aigner. Those interested in religious history can consider pilgrimage, festival traditions and the story of a specific chapel as distinct themes.

Katzenberg Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1196 as the property of the bishops of Passau and was called Burg Chotzenperig. Along the Castle Hiking Trail, several information boards titled “Life on the Inn” describe historical, cultural and geological features, as well as traditions of this habitat. The trail thus combines views of the Lower Inn protected area with thematic information about the region.

On the ground floor of Katzenberg Castle is a prayer book and bookbinding museum featuring magnificent Bibles, prayer books and pocket calendars, as well as old bookbinding machines and tools. The landscaped garden of Katzenberg Castle features mature trees, rose plantings, spring flowers and shrubs, following a historical design. The castle’s cultural points of interest thus range from bookbinding to garden design.

DINOLAND Katzenberg Castle

DINOLAND Katzenberg Castle covers 40,000 square metres of woodland and meadows, with more than 70 life-size dinosaurs, skeletons and fossils. Interactive children’s areas invite visitors to discover, touch and try things out; at the research camp, children can sift for treasures and uncover fossils. If you want to include specific activities for children in your travel plans, you can choose between the interactive areas and the activities at the research camp: there, children discover, touch and try things out; here, they sift for treasures and uncover fossils.

Discover more destinations: Mettmach, Peterskirchen, Mehrnbach, Waldzell, Eitzing, Weilbach, Lambrechten, Eberschwang.

For the regional travel overview: Ried Im Innkreis.