Section 4 Danube cycle path from Grein to Melk

Bike ferry Grein
Bike ferry Grein

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 Danube in the Strudengau
The Danube Cycle Path on the right at the beginning of the Strudengau

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 island of Wörth in the Danube near the Hößgang
The island of Wörth in the Danube near the Hößgang

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.

The island of Wörth opposite Werfenstein Castle
The island of Wörth opposite Werfenstein Castle

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.

Danube power plant Persenbeug
Control room in the Persenbeug power plant on the Danube

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.

Kaplan turbines in the Persenbeug power plant on the Danube
Kaplan turbines in the Persenbeug power plant on the Danube

In the old town of Ybbs, very beautiful Renaissance town houses are impressive.

Vienna Street Ybbs
Vienna Street Ybbs

The Bicycle Museum may also be of interest to cyclists.

Bicycle Museum Ybbs
A motorized bicycle in the bicycle museum in Ybbs

The Danube Cycle Path leads us through the Nibelungengau

We drive over Säusenstein and Krummnussbaum on the Danube to the "Nibelungenstadt" Pöchlarn.

Säusenstein Abbey
Säusenstein Abbey in the Nibelungengau

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).

The Nibelungen town of Pöchlarn, where Oskar Kokoschka was born
The Nibelungen town of Pöchlarn, where Oskar Kokoschka was born.

Pöchlarn is also the birthplace of the famous Austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka.

The old town of Melk
Kremser Strasse and parish church in Melk

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 Abbey chamber wing
Melk Abbey chamber wing

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.

Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey

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.

The lock at the Persenbeug power plant with the Persenbeug castle
The lock at the Persenbeug power plant with the Persenbeug castle

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.

The Beautiful View by Maria Tafel
The course of the Danube from the Donauschlinge near Ybbs through the Nibelungengau

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.

Luberegg Castle
Luberegg Castle

On the left hand lies above the Danube Artstetten Castle, which we could also visit.

Artstetten Castle
Artstetten Castle

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 park of Artstetten Castle
The park of Artstetten Castle

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.

The sarcophagi of the murdered couple Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie von Hohenberg
The sarcophagi of the murdered couple Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie von Hohenberg 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.

Danube power plant Melk
Cyclists can cross the Danube at the Melk Danube power plant.
The Radler-Rast offers coffee and cake at the Donauplatz in Oberarnsdorf.