Traunkirchen is a small Salzkammergut village on a limestone peninsula jutting into the Traunsee, known for the Fischerkanzel in the parish church: a Baroque pulpit carved as a fishing boat with life-sized fishermen, commissioned by the Jesuits around 1753. The Traunstein mountain rises directly across the lake. Train to Gmunden from Linz takes about 75 minutes; bus to Traunkirchen adds about 15 minutes. A handful of lakeside hotels make it a genuine overnight base with swimming from June through September. Quieter and more contemplative than Gmunden, Traunkirchen works as a one-night base to explore the Traunsee before continuing south to Bad Ischl or the Hallstätter See.
village
Traunkirchen
The Fischerkanzel in Traunkirchen's parish church is a pulpit carved in the shape of a fishing boat, complete with fishermen and nets, commissioned around 1753 by the Jesuit order that ran the monastery here. The village itself occupies a limestone peninsula that juts into the Traunsee, with the Traunstein mountain directly across the water.