Discover Schönau: Parish Church and Palace Park

Schönau offers two distinct highlights: the neo-Gothic St. Stephen’s Parish Church and Schönau Palace Park, bringing together architectural history and designed landscape. The wider Rottal-Inn destination adds further themes related to thermal baths, theatre, trails, Gothic heritage, and regional farm culture. When planning your trip and accommodation, it is therefore helpful to decide what to focus on: should Schönau’s own local attractions be at the centre, or would you like to broaden your choice of themes to include Rottal-Inn?

Church architecture and a protected park landscape

St. Stephen’s Parish Church in Schönau was built in the neo-Gothic style in 1890/91, based on plans by church architect Johann Schott. Neo-Gothic refers to the later revival of Gothic forms; here, it is associated with a specific period of construction and a named architect. This gives anyone interested in church architecture a clearly defined point of reference in cultural history.

Schönau Palace Park shifts the focus to a designed landscape. The park includes the moated castle of the Barons of Riederer von Paar and was laid out in 1867 by Carl von Effner, the Munich court garden director, in a style similar to the English Garden. It is designated as a protected landscape area, with its tree stock protected.

This offers two distinct themes to choose from: neo-Gothic religious architecture and a designed, protected park landscape.

Further themes in the wider Rottal-Inn destination

The Rottal Terme focuses on water and wellness. It has more than 30 comfortably warm thermal-water pools at temperatures of 26 to 40 °C, as well as 13 different saunas and steam baths. Other facilities include a 105-metre-long thermal stream and health, prevention, and wellness services. The figures given may change if renovations are carried out.

Theater an der Rott presents new productions every year in drama, musicals, concerts, dance, operetta, and opera; individual productions change. It is the only theatre in Germany owned by a district. The wider destination therefore offers different programme highlights: water and wellness on the one hand, and stage productions on the other.

The „Gothic Tours“ introduce residents and tourists to Gothic monuments through brochures, maps, the tour portal, and the Gothic Portal. The Gothic Portal offers audio guides to Gothic buildings that can be accessed on site, as well as an online museum with information, knowledge, and learning resources. For the theme of Gothic architecture, visitors can therefore make use of both tour materials and digital resources available online and on site.

Trails, nature, and route planning

The Rottal-Inn leisure region has a well-developed, extensive network of trails covering several hundred kilometres for hikers and cyclists. The tour portal supports individual route planning with information on elevation profiles and trail conditions, as well as GPX downloads. This information provides practical guidance if you want to choose a route based on its profile and trail conditions.

The Inn Cycle Path runs through the Lower Inn European Reserve and offers a variety of insights into the flora and fauna of the Rottal-Inn leisure region. While the tour portal brings together route-planning information, the Inn Cycle Path offers a nature-focused experience.

Farm culture and regional cuisine

The Rottal Farm Tour is an experience programme centred on rural life and everyday work, wildlife, and farming culture. Traditional crafts, handicraft techniques, and regional „speciality cuisine“ are also among its themes. This adds a glimpse of rural life, with its craft and culinary traditions, to the cultural and natural attractions of the wider Rottal-Inn destination.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Dietersburg, Gangkofen, Eggenfelden, Tann, Egglham, Bad Birnbach, Stubenberg, Simbach Am Inn.

Go to the wider travel overview: Rottal-Inn.