A bridge just before Grein or the ferry takes us back to the south bank of the Danube. With a view of the river and the steep cliffs, we cycle through the strudengau, a fascinating cultural landscape. Again and again we find inviting sandy beaches right on the river. It is hard to imagine that the Danube, with its violent roar and roar, was once feared as a mighty natural event when today the Danube can be perceived at this point as an overflowing, tranquil bathing lake.
The Strudengau, rock faces and dangerous water whirlpools
Until 1957, when the Ybbs-Persenbeug power plant was built, this section of the river was one of the most dangerous for shipping. Very threatening whirlpools were created by rocky reefs and shallows in the stream. Grein, Struden, St. Nikola and Sarmingstein benefited from the location at this narrow point on the Danube. Toll points were set up and the passage through the eddies and whirlpools was organized. Around 20 pilots were ready, skippers who knew the dangers of every rock and eddy in the Danube. An early mass was held daily in Struden for the Danube boatmen in 1510.
The Urdonau in Strudengau
The Wörth Island lies in the middle of what was once the wildest stretch of the Strudengau. It divides the Danube into two arms, the so-called Hoessgang and the Struden Canal, which is richer in rock. The island of Wörth is the last remnant of the granite cliffs of a rock massif Bohemian mass of the Urdonau, When the Danube was low, the island was once accessible by foot or by wagon using gravel banks. It has been a nature reserve since 1970 and can be visited with a guided tour from July to September.
Banned dangers from the Ybbs-Persenbeug power plant
Regulation by blasting, some of the many dangerous rocky islands, began in 1777. It was only when the water level was raised, as part of the Ybbs-Persenbeug power plant construction, that the dangers in the Strudengau on the Danube were controlled.
We will soon reach the dam. First plans for the oldest Danube Ybbs-Persenbeug power plant already existed in 1920. During one Guide you can see how a Kaplan turbine works deep down in the Danube.
In the old town of Ybbs, very beautiful Renaissance town houses are impressive.
The Bicycle Museum may also be of interest to cyclists.
The Danube Cycle Path leads us through the Nibelungengau
We drive over Säusenstein and Krummnussbaum on the Danube to the "Nibelungenstadt" Pöchlarn.
Im Nibelung song an ancient epic, some of which takes place on the Danube, is the setting for the small town of Pöchlarn. As the most famous Middle High German epic hero, it has survived in 35 manuscripts and fragments (the most recent find from 1998 is kept in the Melk Abbey Library).
Pöchlarn is also the birthplace of the famous Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka.
831 Melk is first mentioned. In the Nibelungenlied, Melk is called “Medelike” in Middle High German. From 976 the castle served as the residence of Leopold I. In 1089 the castle was handed over to the Benedictine monks of Lambach. To this day, monks live according to the rules of St. Benedict in Melk Abbey.
Melk and the gateway to the Wachau
In just under an hour we reach our milestone on the Danube. Melk is called the "gateway to the Wachau", the UNESCO World Heritage Site Wachau, designated.
Over the historic old town Dairy this rises on the Danube Benedictine Abbey Melk, which houses the oldest school in Austria. The abbey, the symbol of the Wachau, is considered the largest monastery complex in the Austrian Baroque.
If we want to continue on the north bank of the Danube, then we change to the other side of the river at Ybbs-Persenbeug. From Persenbeug, with the Habsburg castle Persenbeug, to Marbach we continue on the Danube cycle path along the river.
E-biker tip: enjoy the view from Maria Taferl
It can be worthwhile for e-bike cyclists to travel from Marbach an der Donau to the place of choice Maria Tafel to cycle up. As a reward, we enjoy a great view of the Danube Valley from here.
After a short time we are back on the bike path and see Luberegg Castle, In the 18th century the plant was built as a summer residence for a busy entrepreneur and timber trader. Luberegg Castle also served as a post station on the way via Pöggstall to Budweis.
On the left hand lies above the Danube Artstetten Castle, which we could also visit.
Artstetten Castle, which was probably built on the foundations of a medieval castle in the 16th century, is about 200 meters above the Danube near Klein-Pöchlarn in the middle of an extensive park.
The Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne who was murdered in Sarajevo in 1914 and whose death triggered the First World War, is buried in the crypt of Artstetten Castle.
It now continues via the Danube power plant in Melk and on the southern side of the Danube through the Wachau.