Cruising the Danube River is a wonderful river cruise experience, and the Wachau Valley of Austria is one of the most scenic sections of the river. This beautiful valley stretches for about 20 miles along the river between Melk and Krems. Along the narrow Wachau Valley, there are many charming towns, terraced vineyards, castles, and monasteries.
The Wachau Valley is included on many Danube River cruise itineraries, and river ships sail through the valley in daylight, with stopovers in Melk and sometimes in Durnstein. Cruises sailing the Danube upstream from Budapest to Passau or Nuremberg pass through the Wachau Valley.
Although much of the Danube is very scenic, another spectacular section is the Iron Gates in Serbia, which is included in eastern European itineraries to/from the Black Sea.
The Schonbuhel Castle is over 1000 years old and was the property of the Bishops of Passau. The castle is known as the "Watchman of the Wachau". It is located about 3 miles from Melk.
The Wachau (German pronunciation: [vaˈxaʊ]) is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans" for its high-quality wines. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Dürnstein, where King Richard the Lion-Heart of England was held captive by Duke Leopold V. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries (Melk Abbey and Göttweig Abbey), castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley.
The Wachau was inscribed as "Wachau Cultural Landscape" in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history, in December 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment