A Winter Day in Steyr

I had heard many good things about Steyr, but so far I hadn’t managed to visit this town in Upper Austria. That was about to change today.

So we got up early and first took the Westbahn to Linz. As usual, we had breakfast on the train.

In Linz, my partner once again had to pay a visit to his beloved “Leberkäs Peppi.”

Shortly afterwards, we boarded a train to Steyr. Right at the station, we noticed the beautiful Protestant Church, which was built in the 19th century in Neo-Gothic style.

From the station, we walked along the banks of the Enns River toward the city center.

Here stands the Rafting Monument, which was erected in 1980 on the occasion of the city’s 1000th anniversary.

The view of the city was magnificent.

What caught our eye immediately was the picturesque Church of St. Michael.

Eventually, we reached the spot where the two rivers, Enns and Steyr, flow together.

The water sparkled in the winter sun, and the view from here of the old town and Lamberg Castle was unique.

We crossed the bridge at this point and continued strolling toward the town square.

Here the path split: through the Enge Gasse (Narrow Alley) you could continue into the heart of the old town, or through the castle gate you would reach Lamberg Castle.

We chose the Enge Gasse. Fascinated, we admired the splendid houses of the old town with their façades from the Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Biedermeier periods. Along the charming alley there were numerous shops, restaurants, and cafés waiting for visitors.

Surprisingly, a few stalls of the Christmas market were still open on the town square, even though Christmas was already over.

Delighted, we admired the lovingly decorated stalls and tried some of the regional delicacies.

Here you’ll also find the Bummerlhaus, the city’s landmark, which dates back to the Gothic era, and the Church of St. Mary, built in the Renaissance style.

Time and again, narrow arcaded paths lead down to the Enns – little lanes that add to the charm of the city.

From here we walked slightly uphill on narrow, cobblestone streets to the Parish Church, which dates back to the 15th century and is thus the oldest church in Steyr.

Not far away we finally reached Lamberg Castle. Even now in winter, the beautiful castle garden was a lovely sight.

Particularly impressive was the arch leading to the castle.

I found the stone dwarf figures placed in the park interesting, though I couldn’t really find out anything about their origin.

From the castle, we walked back downhill until we reached the castle gate, which had once served as part of the city fortifications.

We took another stroll through the old town, which was now bathed in a beautiful, warm light by the already low-hanging sun.

Then it was time to return to the station. We took the next train back to Linz, where we ended this exciting day with a cozy dinner.