Wernstein am Inn: Art, Architectural History and the Inn
Accommodation in Wernstein Am Inn
Wernstein am Inn offers several clearly distinct points of interest for planning a trip: Alfred Kubin’s home and workplace, sacred architecture, the crossing of the Inn at the Mariensteg bridge and the riverside landscape. If you are looking for a hotel for a culture-focused stay, these themes can help you decide whether art, architecture or outdoor activities should set the tone for your trip.
Kubin House and Art
For over 50 years, the Kubin House in Zwickledt was Alfred Kubin’s home and place of work. The Kubin House Zwickledt Museum displays original furnishings, works of art and manuscripts, as well as a collection of prints from Kubin’s circle. In addition to the permanent exhibition about Alfred Kubin, the house offers guided tours in a traditional format and a workshop programme for all ages. If you plan to attend one of these activities, check the current programme details before your visit.
Exhibitions are also held at the Alfred Kubin Gallery. Together with the museum, it offers an art-focused experience that includes both Kubin’s home and exhibitions.
Church and Marian Column
The parish church of St. George is a single-nave Late Gothic building dating from the end of the 15th or beginning of the 16th century. The Gothic works of art inside the church include an octagonal baptismal font made of red marble. A six-storey Baroque tower, built in 1730, stands on the west side. The architecture and individual works of art give the church several distinct historical layers: the Late Gothic building, its surviving works of art and the tower added later.
The Marian Column is 17 metres tall and made of sandstone and granite. J. Pock created it in 1646, modelled on the Marian Column in Munich. It was brought to Wernstein by ship and erected opposite Neuburg. Four pillars topped with child angels armed with helmets, shields and swords stand around the high base. These details add a more precise picture of the monument’s design to its architectural history. The religious and cultural context also includes veneration of St. Nepomuk as the patron saint of bridges and as a protector against floods and drowning.
Mariensteg Bridge and the Inn River Landscape
The Mariensteg is a 145-metre-long suspension bridge over the Inn. A single 30-metre-high pylon on the Neuburg side supports the bridge. The Mariensteg connects Wernstein with Neuburg am Inn and is for pedestrians and cyclists. Its length, construction and connection make it a destination in its own right if the Inn and crossing the river are to be a focus of your stay.
On the Innviertel Way of St. James, hikers can cross the new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians for a short visit to Wernstein. For cyclists, the R1.01 Inn-Danube Loop reaches the Mariensteg via paved cycle paths, side roads, a sandy track and finally InnstraĂźe. These two descriptions refer to different tour contexts: a short visit on foot and a cycling route with several types of surfaces described.
The municipality of Wernstein am Inn lies on the southern edge of the Bohemian Massif. The local geology includes Wernstein-type migmatites. The Vornbacher Enge is a breakthrough valley of the Inn, where the river narrows to about 60 metres. These details about the landscape complement the architectural and art history with the geological and river-related setting of the municipality.
Outdoor Activities and Getting There
The motor skills park has stations and exercise equipment for healthy outdoor activity. This provides a separate option for getting active alongside the historic sites and tours along the Inn, without requiring you to choose a particular type of tour.
Wernstein can be reached directly by train via the local Ă–BB station. Check the current timetable before travelling if you are planning a specific connection.
Discover more destinations: Eggerding, Taufkirchen an der Pram, Suben, Enzenkirchen, Sigharting, Mayrhof, Rainbach Im Innkreis, Freinberg.
Back to the main travel overview: Schärding.
