Sparbach Nature Park

Sparbach Nature Park: Natural idyll at the gates of Vienna

The Sparbach Nature Park, the oldest nature park in Austria, is located south of Vienna and offers a beautiful mix of forests, meadows and ruins. Ideal for families and nature lovers, the park invites you to take leisurely walks and picnics. The game reserve with free-roaming wild boars and the adventure playground for children are particularly popular. The Sparbach Nature Park offers a perfect break in nature, just a few kilometers from the city.

Short info:

• What is the Sparbach Nature Park and what does it offer?did he? The Sparbach Nature Park is a 2,000 hectare nature park south of Vienna and offers hiking trails, animal watching, and a large children's playground
• What makes the Sparbach Nature Park special? There are various hiking trails with varying levels of difficulty in the Sparbach Nature Park. With a bit of luck, you will spot wild boars and other native animals.
• Where is it located? 17km south of Vienna, Sparbach 6, 2393 Sparbach
• When is it open and how much does admission cost? Here you can find the opening hours and the admission prices. With the NÖ-Card One-time admission is free.
• Are there hiking trails here? Yes, there are 5 hikes. Details can be found below
• How much time should you plan for a visit? At least half a day.

Just 17 kilometers south of Vienna is Austria's first nature park, Sparbach, which covers an area of 249 hectares. The park offers numerous recreational opportunities such as hiking, picnicking and even barbecuing, as well as a spacious adventure playground for children. Rich in flora and fauna, the Sparbach Nature Park is home to many animal species such as red deer, wild boar, donkeys, foxes, badgers, martens and a variety of bird species. Rare plant species such as spring adonis and Daphne can also be admired.

The parking lot and the visitor center

We recommend coming early, as the spacious car park can fill up very quickly, especially on weekends. You can stock up on last-minute provisions at the visitor center. However, we recommend at least bringing drinks with you, as the prices are a bit steep.

Tip: Some paths are suitable for strollers. Bicycles and dogs are not allowed! You can also borrow a stroller for small children after the entrance, which you can use to transport them and their souvenirs. The tokens for this can be rented for €5 + a €10 stake at the cash desk.

Near the entrance to the nature park

After passing the entrance at the visitor center, everyone begins on the same path. It goes slightly downhill past the small animal enclosuresHere you will find goats, sheep and the donkeys Anita, Hubert, Emil, Rosi and Franzi, who can be petted.

If you are lucky, you can Wild boars at the feeding station Watch out. Be careful: even if they look trusting, the wild boars roam freely here, so you shouldn't get too close. But you don't need to worry about your children, the animals are used to people. After the small animal walks, we continue to the Lenauteich and the Leopoldmühle.

The Lenauteich in the Sparbach Nature Park is named after the Biedermeier poet Nikolaus Lenau, who may have written the "Reed Songs" on its banks. Rest and relaxation areas along the bank of the pond offer a good view of the small island where ducks can nest in wooden houses. Rudd and carp live in the Lenau pond, two species of fish that can be easily observed here.

The Leopoldmühle in the Sparbach Nature Park originally comes from the Bucklige Welt and was brought here and rebuilt in the 1960s. The large water wheel that drives the grinding mechanism is particularly impressive. The mill is fully equipped and an information board on the outside wall shows its construction. A visit is worthwhile to gain an insight into the traditional craft of milling.

adventure playground, barbecue area, wildlife observation

Behind the lake is the extremely popular adventure playground. It offers children a variety of opportunities to have fun in an adventurous way. The large playground has a tree house, a fox den, a spacious water and sand play area and a drinking fountain. On weekends and public holidays you can also visit the snack stand at the playground. As already mentioned at the beginning, we think the prices are excessively high. In 2023, a PET bottle will cost €3.60 even from the vending machine. But for €5.80 you can treat yourself to a wild boar cheese sausage.

In addition, the barbecue area at the adventure playground can be booked to host parties and celebrations. There are also toilet facilities available near the playground.

Directly above there is an observation platform from which you can observe mouflon and fallow deer.

The hiking routes in detail

Along the five hiking routes you can experience a variety of special features:

Small animal enclosure, nature park house, adventure playground, wild growth gallery, Johannstein ruins from the 12th century, Dianawiese triumphal arch, charcoal burner's house ruins, gallery of wild animals, wild boars roaming freely, over 200-year-old giant trees, etc.
All hiking routes start from the visitor center.

Route 1 – Accessible

Difficulty: easy
Distance: 2.25km
Elevation difference: 45 m
Duration: 0:45min

A short hike perfect for families, taking in a number of the nature park's special features. This route is barrier-free and can be used by wheelchair users, indoors and with a stroller.

Directions:
Visitor center – Lenauteich – detour to the gallery of wild animals – Johannstein rest island – wild growth gallery – Leopoldmühle – Visitor center

Route 2 – Family hike (our photos are from this one)

Difficulty: easy
Distance: 4.26km
Elevation difference: 109 m
Duration: 1:30min

A varied and very special hike for families, past numerous highlights of the Sparbach Nature Park.

Directions:
Visitor center – Lenauteich – Leopoldmühle – Schacherplatz – Johannstein ruins – giant trees – Johannstein island of rest – adventure playground – detour to the gallery of wild animals – Lenauteich – Visitor center

Route 3 – Biedermeier Hike

Difficulty: medium
Distance: 6.40km
Elevation difference: 219 m
Duration: 2:30 min

The Biedermeier hike in the Sparbach Nature Park is a very varied hike and promises to discover many of the special features of the Sparbach Nature Park.

Directions:
Visitor center – Lenauteich – Leopoldmühle – Schacherplatz – Today for Tomorrow area – Dianawiese – Dianaquelle – Köhlerhaus – Johannstein ruins – Giant trees – Johannstein island of rest – Adventure playground – Excursion to the gallery of wild animals – Lenauteich – Visitor center

Route 4 – Kaisersteig Round

Difficulty: medium
Distance: 7.21km
Elevation difference: 224 m
Duration: 3:00 min

The beautiful hike along the Kaisersteig promises pure nature in the idyllic Vienna Woods! This route leads to the quietest part of the nature park, the trail requires good footwear and surefootedness.

Directions:
Visitor center – Lenauteich – Johannstein rest island – hiking trail to the Köhlerhaus (Kaisersteig) – Dianawiese – Today for Tomorrow area – Schacherplatz – Leopoldmühle – Lenauteich – Visitor center

Route 5 – Circular hike in Sparbach Nature Park

Difficulty: medium
Distance: 7.67km
Elevation difference: 221 m
Duration: 3:00 min

Explore the wonderful Sparbach Nature Park and its animals on this circular hike.

Directions:
Visitor center – Lenauteich – Johannstein rest island – Dianawiese (via Schacherplatz direction) – Around the Dianawiese – detour to the Köhlerhaus – Schacherplatz – Leopoldmühle – Visitor center

Our conclusion

The Sparbach Nature Park is ideal for a family outing. Children especially love the animals and the adventure playground. If you are only coming here to hike and see animals, we recommend the Vienna Woods or the Lainzer TiergartenIn contrast to Sparbach, there is no entrance fee and the chances of seeing wild boars are just as high.