The Mondsee-Irrsee region

As an extensive swimming lake, Mondsee and its turquoise waters provides an extensive selection of leisure activities – whether it is water skiing, pedalo rides, sailing, surfing or a romantic boat trip – there is something to suit everyone here.

Fun and activities are guaranteed here in Alpenseebad Mondsee which has a pontoon, children's splash pool, water skiing, beach volleyball, playground, water games, table tennis, fun park and numerous water slides for your holiday at Mondsee. The green areas and lounge areas span some 20,000 m², making Alpenseebad Mondsee the biggest outdoor swimming facility in the Salzkammergut.

Anyone looking for relaxation will find paradise at the swimming lake, Irrsee. As the warmest lake in the Salzkammergut in Upper Austria, close to the state border with Salzburg, Irrsee swimming lake is a gem, being a nature conservation area, with natural moors and a key habitat for the flora and fauna.

The impressive Drachenwand takes its name from a hole in the rocks. Legend has it that a dragon, who had snatched a priest’s cook, took a nosedive into it.

The market town of Mondsee nestles in a picturesque location at the banks of a lake bearing the same name, between Schafberg, Mondseeberg and Drachenwand. Mondsee looks back upon a long history. At the shore area of Mondsee, Neolithic pottery and tools made from stone and bones were discovered; these are believed to be the remnants of a pile-dwelling culture. Science coined the name ‘Mondsee group’ after the main find site was uncovered at Mondsee.  Mondseeland Museum has an extensive collection of pile-dwelling artefacts.  

The oldest preserved complete book to be written in Austria, the so-called Tassilo Psalter, originated in Mondsee some time before 788. Shortly after 800, the so-called Mondseer Matthäus – the oldest bible translation in German - was written here.

Mondsee monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Austria. After secularisation, it was named Mondsee Castle and is today chiefly used as an area for shops and events. The monastic church of St. Michael was raised to the status of Basilica minor in 2005 by Pope John Paul II. and is the parish church of Mondsee. The three-aisled Basilica church interior of the former monastery is one of the most important architectural monuments in Austria.