Braunau Am Inn

Braunau lies in the Innviertel, the north-western corner of Upper Austria that belonged to Bavaria until 1779. The Inn River runs along the town's western edge, and the Bavarian town of Simbach, in the Rottal-Inn district, lies directly on the opposite bank. Rolling farmland stretches in every direction, and the landscape feels more Bavarian than Austrian, in its beer, its dialect and its architecture.

The old town is a good example of the Inn-Salzach style. The long Stadtplatz, the main square, is lined with tall, narrow houses with gabled fronts that rise above the roofs, painted in pastel shades and arranged like a continuous wall along each side. A fountain and the Town Hall, the Rathaus, stand on the square, and the narrow lanes behind lead to the river. The historic town gate, the Salzburger Vorstadt and the Ludwig Gate recall the walls that once surrounded the town.

The parish church, the Stadtpfarrkirche St. Stephan, rises above the centre. It is a late Gothic hall church whose tower, at around 87 metres, is one of the tallest in the region, and its interior has vaults, altars and a pulpit from several periods. The Church is the best place from which to get a sense of the town's medieval wealth. The ducal castle, the Herzogsburg, built in the Middle Ages and rebuilt in later centuries, now houses offices and cultural activities, and its Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque elements are visible from the outside.

A well-known episode of local history is the case of Johann Philipp Palm, a Nuremberg bookseller who distributed an anonymous pamphlet against Napoleon's occupation of southern Germany. He was arrested and shot in Braunau in August 1806, and a memorial recalls him. The town also has a long tradition of crafts and brewing, and several breweries and taverns serve the beer of the Innviertel.

The town's most difficult heritage is its connection to Adolf Hitler, who was born in 1889 in a rented apartment in a house at Salzburger Vorstadt 15 and who left the town as a child. For decades the house was a source of controversy. A memorial stone, made of granite from the Mauthausen quarry and placed in 1989, bears an inscription calling for peace, freedom and democracy and remembering the millions of dead. The Austrian state took control of the building, and its future use has been debated, with plans for a place with a social or educational function. The town itself carries out historical education through exhibitions, a contemporary history programme and a series of cultural events. Visitors should treat the site with respect, and check the current status of the house, as access is limited.

For recreation, the Inn meadows and the river embankment offer pleasant walks and cycle rides, with views across the water to Germany. The Inn cycle path runs through the town, and the open-air pool, the Erlebnisfreibad, is a family attraction in summer. Nature lovers will find the Lower Inn wetlands, a protected bird area, downstream; there is no formal nature Park on the Bavarian side despite the name of the Rottal-Inn district, but the Inn Valley is a good place for quiet walks. Sports facilities in the town and the surrounding district include tennis, riding and indoor halls.

Another excursion is Ranshofen, a district of Braunau with a former Augustinian abbey,.

Food is Innviertel cooking: pork roasts, dumplings, sausages and pretzels with local beer, and sweet dishes such as Apfelstrudel. Market days bring regional produce.

The best time to visit is from May to September, when the cycle path and the river are at their best. Spring and autumn are quieter, and winters are cold.

Getting there is simple. Braunau has a railway station on the line between Salzburg, Simbach and Munich, with regional trains from Salzburg in about an hour, and buses link it with Linz. By car, the A8 motorway from Munich to Salzburg passes nearby, and the road via Simbach crosses the river. Salzburg is about 55 kilometres away, Munich about 120, and Linz about 100.