Ambach can be explored through two distinct themes: remembrance of the end of the war in 1945 and hiking in the surrounding area. The Plank Memorial Cross connects a person remembered by name with a specific place; the hiking information ranges from a numbered variant of the Rund-Marterlwanderweg to trails in the Dunkelsteinerwald. For planning your trip, it helps to consider cultural history and hiking as separate interests. This way, you can decide whether a memorial site, a specific route, or access to hiking trails will be the deciding factor in your stay.
Plank Memorial Cross: a place of remembrance
If you are coming from Oberwölbling, the Plank Memorial Cross stands at the entrance to Ambach on the main road: after a right-hand bend, it is on the right-hand side of the road. The wrought-iron cross bears a corpus, an inscription, and a relief statue of Mary. It commemorates 16-year-old Richard Plank from Ambach, who was fatally struck by a projectile at this spot at the end of the war in 1945. Its design, the person it commemorates, and its location are thus closely connected. This personal dedication is what makes the cross especially significant when looking at Ambach’s cultural history: it preserves the memory of a specific fate and the place where it happened.
Barbarakreuz: a second cultural site
Another point of interest is the Barbarakreuz wayside shrine at Reiterhof 1 in Ambach. It is protected as a monument by regulation; an entry in the Austrian monument register dated June 23, 2026, records its protected status. Unlike the Plank Memorial Cross, the Barbarakreuz is described as a wayside shrine and is classified by its monument status. This makes it possible to distinguish between two different cultural sites: here, the remembrance of Richard Plank; there, a protected wayside shrine. When exploring Ambach’s local culture, you can distinguish between the names and the respective character of the two places.
Hiking: route and landscape
For hikers, there is a specific route description: the short variant of the 1st Rund-Marterlwanderweg is 4.2 km long, starts in Oberwölbling, and passes through Ambach. A route description published in 2021 gives these key details; check route conditions before setting out. The distance and starting point provide a clear framework for choosing and can be factored into your day’s plans.
The Ambacher Graben leads to hiking trails in the Dunkelsteinerwald. These two hiking options have different focuses: the named variant highlights the starting point and route length, while the Graben provides access to hiking trails in the Dunkelsteinerwald. When choosing between them, first consider whether a specific route length or access to trails in the landscape is more important to you.
Let your priorities guide your accommodation search
If local history and remembrance matter to you, focus on the Plank Memorial Cross and Barbarakreuz; if you want to go hiking, you can consider the 4.2 km variant and the Ambacher Graben’s access to trails in the Dunkelsteinerwald. This way, your search for a holiday apartment in Ambach is guided by specific interests rather than just the place name. First decide whether cultural sites or hiking trails should shape your stay more, then tailor your search accordingly.
Discover more destinations: Wald, Unterwölbling, Oed, Hofstetten, Zagging, Neidling, Wilhelmsburg, Linden
Return to the main travel overview: Sankt Pölten.
