Observatory hiking trail

Make sure when choosing your route that it matches your fitness level. Check whether the catering businesses you want to visit on the way are open. Pack your charged mobile phone and maps in your backpack. Always carry a passport or ID card for cross-border routes.

Sturdy footwear, functional clothing, sun and rain protection, maps, telescopic poles if necessary, first aid kit (blister plasters), sufficient provisions (snack, muesli bars, fruit, water).

The trail starts across from the municipal office in the center of Martinsberg (trail marker No. 20). Hike along the main street until you reach the turnoff toward Oed. Continue along Eichenstraße to house No. 17, where you’ll follow the trail markers on the left along a dirt road to the Martinsberg Astronomical Center (AZM). The center is located at an elevation of 870 meters and was reopened in 2021 with the completion of a new exhibition and presentation building. The AZM includes the Waldviertel Orion Observatory, which features an outstanding lunar and planetary telescope (a Cassegrain with a 310 m aperture and an equivalent focal length of approximately 4.3 m). An automatic meteor camera station is also located at this site. It is part of the Central European Fireball Network. A privately operated comet station has recently been established at the site.
From March through May and July through November, scheduled guided tours are offered twice a month. In June and from December through the end of February, as well as outside of the scheduled times, guided tours are held for special celestial events. For more information, visit https://azm-sternwarte-orion.at/
From the observatory, continue hiking northwest toward the wildlife preserve, then through the village of Edlesberg and on to Lake Edlesberg. There, the “Schwemmen” seating sculpture on the shore of Lake Edlesberg invites you to take a short break. Follow the trail markers back to the observatory. The hike continues to the left toward Reitzendorfer Teich. From there, follow the trail markers through Kleinmitterndorf back to Martinsberg and the starting point.

at the Martinsberg municipal office

All information about all bus and train lines to the Waldviertel can be found at www.vor.at or www.oebb.at.