Danube Cycle Path from Passau to Bratislava

8
LEFT BANK
VIENNA TO HAINBURG
// APPEALING CONTRASTS
Info. post Carnuntum – Schloss Hof (Castle Manor) – Bratislava Tour
© Steve Haider
Vienna has a wealth of sights and a kaleidoscope of
impressions are probably still running through your
mind: Schönbrunn Palace and zoo, the historical
center of Vienna with St. Stephen’s Cathedral,
the Hofburg, the Imperial Apartments, the Sisi-
Museum, the Treasury, the Spanish Riding
School, Art History Museum and Museums-
Quartier and further afield, Belvedere Palace, the
Prater with its Giant Ferris Wheel, Jugendstil,
cafés and heurige wine taverns.
But now nature awaits you. Even before you actually
leave the city, you find yourself in the Danube Wetlands
National Park, which extends between the
agglomerations Vienna and Bratislava like a green belt
(Information on the route diversion see Page 131). It is a
natural habitat to over 800 different species of highly developed
plants, to 30 mammalian species, 100 species
of breeding birds, and about 60 different species of fish.
For more details on the national park, stop off at Orth
Castle, which is a ways away from the bike path. The
schlossORTH National Park-Centre is housed
in this Renaissance water castle with four towers. A
castle island has an interactive wetlands exhibition
complete with an underwater observation station. The
castle also houses a local museum on regional culture.
Orth Castle is among the »Marchfeld-Castles«- Soon
you will get to know another one when you leave the
Danube Bike Path at Eckartsau for a short side trip to
Eckartsau hunting lodge. This residence of the last
Austrian imperial couple Karl and Zita is now used for
films, events, weddings and concerts.
Another side trip is advisable near Stopfenreuth.
Leaving the riparian forests along the Danube, you
proceed to »Au-Terrasse«, a plateau that affords great
views of the river landscape (campground, unsupervised
outdoor swimming area). The Danube bridge in
Bad Deutsch-Altenburg is not far away now. It takes
you to the south bank and shortly after to Hainburg.
With its 2.5 kilometers of city walls, three medieval city
gates and large towers from the early 13th century, the
medieval city has one of the oldest and best-preserved
city fortifications in Europe. Above the castle hill with the
ruins, victors will not only enjoy a lot of medieval flair, but
also an impressive view.
132