History & Initiative

The idea for the Wilheringer Way was born as a ‘by-product’ of a consideration of how the Wilheringer parsonages in the Mühlviertel region could be put to good use in times of staff shortages. Chris Müller, then creative director of the Linz tobacco factory, conducted a study on this topic. After encouragement from the former parish priest of Puchenau, Kons. P. Andreas Ebmer, I took up this idea again after some time. The pilgrim rooms in individual parsonages express the ‘original idea’.

The conception and implementation of the Wilheringer Weg, which connects the Danube and Vltava rivers, was only made possible with the help of many people. Wolfgang Haderer and Christine Dittlbacher were among the first to join the project. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the team of trail maintainers and to everyone who contributed in any way to the success of the trail!

I am particularly pleased about the new connection that has been created with our former daughter monastery in Hohenfurth. Brother Nivard very kindly translated the texts into Czech.

Many thanks to the mayors and communities of the region for their financial and active support!

We are grateful to the landowners who have signed agreements allowing their properties to be used for the pilgrimage route! At the same time, we would like to remind pilgrims to keep the paths clean!

A big thank you goes to Sigrid Gillmayr and those responsible for regional development, as well as Markus Obermüller and the Mühlviertel Tourism Association! Helene Sageder has carefully coordinated the project. Without all of them, the project would not have been possible! Thank you for the support from EU funds!

May the Wilheringer Weg be well received and well travelled! Not only pilgrims, but everyone in the region should benefit from it!

Abt Reinhold Dessl OCist