Discover Marchtrenk

A stay in Marchtrenk can appeal to a range of interests: museums and memorial sites tell the story of the past, while an extensive cycling network offers a focus of its own. If you are looking for a hotel in Marchtrenk, you can choose one based on the topics that interest you during your trip. The historic sites have distinct focuses: the Museum of the City of Marchtrenk combines a historic house with documents and exhibits, the Danube Swabian Museum tells its story through different stages of life, and the Peace Trail looks at wartime and reconstruction.

Museums spanning architectural history and exhibitions

The Museum of the City of Marchtrenk is located in the Heidehaus, a historic longhouse on the Wels Heath dating from 1869. The building is one of the oldest houses in Marchtrenk. At the museum, you can see documents and photographs, as well as exhibits such as the “Iron Table” and the “Marchtrenk Cradle”. The history of an old house and different glimpses into the city’s past come together here.

Two rooms also explore the 200-year history of the horse-drawn railway in detail. This focus adds a dedicated historical topic to the documents, photographs and exhibits. If you are interested in the horse-drawn railway, you can view it as a clearly defined part of the museum’s collection.

Stories of the Danube Swabians

The Danube Swabian Museum has a different focus: it tells their story through several stages. Arrival and life “there” are followed by farewell and flight; the story then moves on to arrival and life “here”, as well as a look to the future. This sequence covers different stages of life and changes of place. Visitors of all generations are invited to explore these historical stories through interactive offerings and from different perspectives.

The museum is located in the former “Kellerwirt”. The building was constructed in 1953/54 in the centre of a settlement area home to numerous families expelled from their homeland, and served as a community meeting place for weddings, celebrations and dances. The museum opened in July 2026. The building’s former role as a meeting place is another part of its history.

Water tower and Peace Trail

The water tower is another historic landmark; its construction dates back to 1915. It was built in 1915 as a water reservoir for the entire camp, during the construction of an Austro-Hungarian prisoner-of-war camp. On the ground floor is a permanent exhibition about the prisoner-of-war camp, created by the Marchtrenk Museum Association. The tower’s original function and the exhibition’s subject thus relate to the same historical context.

Established in 2014, the Marchtrenk Peace Trail commemorates in particular the two world wars and the reconstruction that followed. Unlike the museum exhibitions, its subject is explored along a memorial trail: the focus is on both the war years and the period that followed. It therefore complements the museum perspectives with a distinct approach to remembrance.

Cycling as another focus

Marchtrenk has an extensive cycling network with direct links to the long-distance Traun River Cycle Route. The cycling network offers a distinct focus alongside the museums and memorial sites. If cycling is one of your interests, you can take this into account when planning your trip; if you are mainly interested in history, the museums and Peace Trail offer different topics and perspectives.

The various focuses can be clearly distinguished according to your interests: the Museum of the City of Marchtrenk covers topics including the horse-drawn railway and displays historic exhibits; the Danube Swabian Museum tells a story of arrival, farewell and the future. The Peace Trail is dedicated to the world wars and reconstruction, while the cycling network connects to a long-distance cycle route. These differences give you a concrete basis for deciding which topics will shape your stay in Marchtrenk.

Discover more destinations: Mitterperwend, Bachmanning, Stadl-Traun, Gunskirchen, Eberstalzell, Edt Bei Lambach, Wels, Thalheim Bei Wels.

Back to the main travel overview: Wels-Land.