Easy hikes and walks around Burghausen

The current structure, a steel and concrete bridge, was inaugurated in 1963 – three years after the "New Bridge" further upstream. Locals still refer to it as the "Old Bridge," as it was first mentioned in 1272 and had several predecessors, which were completely or partially destroyed at least 12 times by floods and 6 times by ice jams. In 1809, Austrian troops rendered the bridge unusable to hinder Napoleon I Bonaparte's advance to Vienna. During a minor flood in 1959, a work platform that broke loose from the "New Bridge" severely damaged the "Old Bridge," before the major flood of the same year destroyed the temporary bridge that had been erected at short notice; for a time, there was no permanent crossing of the Salzach River near Burghausen, only a ferry service. This flood – with a maximum water level of 8.14 meters, one of Burghausen's worst – was the catalyst for the construction of the flood protection wall.

The Holy Spirit Hospital, with its Holy Spirit Church, is a former hospital in the old town of Burghausen. It now serves as a church meeting center and a BRK retirement home. Between 1319 and 1332, Friedrich der Mautner and his brother-in-law Konrad Ermreich founded a hospital building with a church and cemetery outside the city gates for the sick and needy. The hospital existed here until 1956 and was replaced by a new building on the banks of the Salzach River. Afterward, the building served as an episcopal seminary and, since 1993, as the church meeting center "Haus der Begegnung Heilig Geist" (House of Encounter Holy Spirit).

"In den Grüben," with its colorful, mostly late-Gothic artisan houses, is largely a pedestrian zone. The street, which leads into the town square, is not only a popular meeting place but also a lively area for restaurants, arts, crafts, and shopping. Burghausen has hosted the International Jazz Week since 1970. To mark its thirtieth anniversary in 1999, decorative stones were set into the street's pavement in honor of the artists: the city's "Street of Fame." Jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Chris Barber, Chick Corea, Dave Brubeck, and Till Brönner have all performed in Burghausen. The stones bear the names, signatures, and dates of birth and death of the artists.

The historic town square is one of the most beautiful in Central Europe. Magnificent buildings preserve the flair of centuries past. The town square impresses not only with its picturesque architecture but also with a unique atmosphere that combines tradition and modernity.

A bridge over the Salzach at this location was first mentioned in 1272. Even after that, salt from Hallein continued to be transported here by boat, but was only permitted to be landed and paid customs duties in Burghausen. The salt toll made the town and the Wittelsbach dynasty, who ruled here, wealthy in the late Middle Ages. The Old Bridge connected Burghausen with Hochburg-Ach, which belonged to the town, on the opposite bank. Only after the Innviertel region—all areas east of the Salzach and Inn rivers—was ceded to Austria in 1779 following the War of the Bavarian Succession did Hochburg-Ach develop its independence. Following devastating floods in 1959, the Old Bridge was rebuilt and opened to traffic on August 23, 1963. It was extensively renovated in 2000 and 2025.

The narrow, stepped Schmallerl-Steig path is the shortest, albeit steepest, connection between the Acher district of Duttendorf and the Old Bridge over the Salzach River to Burghausen. From this romantic path, which is also part of the Upper Austrian Marien-Wanderweg (Mary's Trail), magnificent views of the Salzach River, the old town, and Burghausen Castle repeatedly offer themselves. The path climbs the approximately seventy-meter-high steep bank of the Salzach River just before the Salzach Gorge. As early as 1548, the Burghausen treasurer recorded expenses for equipping the "Schmalerl" with railings and steps.

Since the late Middle Ages, this view has been offered to all travelers coming to Burghausen from the east. They no longer had to cross the Salzach by boat, but could use the bridge, first mentioned in 1272.

The Burghausen castle complex acquired its present character mainly between 1480 and 1503 during the Wittelsbach period, for whom it served as a state fortress and residence.