The route between Melk and Krems is one of the most beautiful on the Danube cycle path. On the left bank of the Danube, it leads through all the well-known places in the Wachau, as well as through romantic vineyards.
Soon after Ebersdorf on the left bank of the Danube, the ruins of Weitenegg greet you from the range of hills above the Wachaustrasse.
Already in the 9th century Weitenegg belonged to the imperial customs territory of Melk. From the 11th to the 13th century, initially the property of the Bishop of Freising,
later the Kuenringer, Weitenegg formed the northern pillar of a castle-protected security line on the left bank of the Danube, which protected the Pielgau from invasions from
the east.
From 1236 onwards, Weitenegg castle and dominion were the property of the sovereign, the centre of a county "provincia Weitenekke" which was subordinate to the German king. In
addition to an area around Melk, a part of the southern Waldviertel belonged to this imperial immediate area.
On the other side of the Danube, the castle Schönbühel stands majestically on a rock and further downstream the monastery Schönbühel. The castle is privately owned and cannot be visited.
The former Servite monastery Schönbühel.
From the small balcony of the Rosalia Church the enthusiastic Austrians waved to their future Empress Elisabeth. This scene was re-enacted in the Sissi film.
Visit with me the
Idyllic Danube landscape in the Wachau
Stefan at the site of the Venus of Willendorf. The statue dates back to the stone age and is 25'000 years old! The 7 cm high original can be viewed in the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
High above the Danube on the right bank is the ruin of Aggstein. Aggstein Castle was built around 1100 by the Kuenringers to protect the merchants travelling through the Danube valley.
More about the
Spitz an der Donau with the Gasthof Mariandl. Have you seen the film "Mariandl" from 1961?
The actors Hans Moser, Rudolf Prack, Gunther Philipp, Cornelia Froboess, Waltraut Haas, Peter Weck and Susi Nicoletti played here under the direction of Werner Jakobs, accompanied by the music of Hans Lang and Johannes Fehring.
The fortified church of Weissenkirchen from 1190 towers above the picturesque alleys of the romantic village
Dieter and Gerhard in front of the Nepomuk Statue at the church
Babsi and Stefan on the cycle path between the vines.
On the way to Dürnstein. You can already see it in the background.
Danube cycle route
