Observatory hiking trail

Starting point of the tour

Starting panel in the town center opposite the municipal office

Destination point of the tour

Starting panel in the town center opposite the municipal office

Route description Observatory hiking trail

Start is opposite the municipal office in the town center of Martinsberg (starting panel no. 20). Along the main street, follow the trail to the junction towards Oed. Continue along Eichenstraße to house no. 17, then follow the marking left over a field path to the Astronomical Center Martinsberg (AZM). It is situated at an altitude of 870 meters and was opened in 2021 with the construction of a new exhibition and presentation building. The AZM includes the Waldviertel Orion Observatory, which has an excellent moon and planet telescope (Cassegrain with 310 mm aperture and approx. 4.3 m equivalent focal length). There is also an automatic meteor camera station at this location. It is part of the Central European fireball network. New at the location is a privately operated comet station.
From March to May and July to November, fixed guided tours are offered twice a month. In June and from December to the end of February, as well as outside fixed dates, special guided tours for celestial events take place. Information is available at www.martinsberg.at/Freizeit_Tourismus/Sternwarte_Orion.
From the observatory, continue hiking northwest to the wildlife enclosure, then through the village of Edlesberg and further to Edlesberger Lake. There, the seating sculpture “Schwemmen” on the shore invites you to a short rest. Follow the marking back to the observatory. The hike then continues left towards Reitzendorfer Pond. From there, follow the markings via Kleinmitterndorf back to Martinsberg to the starting point.