Klosterneuburg Abbey rises on a terrace above the Danube just north of Vienna, its baroque domes topped with an imperial crown and an archducal hat, and few visitors realise that beneath its walls lie the remains of a Roman fort. The Romans guarded this stretch of the Danube frontier, the Limes, with a chain of forts, and Klosterneuburg's position on a hill overlooking the river made it an obvious choice. The fort and the civil settlement around it are part of the UNESCO site of the Danube Limes, inscribed in 2021.
The abbey was founded in the twelfth century by Margrave Leopold III of the Babenberg dynasty, later canonised as Saint Leopold, patron saint of Lower Austria and Vienna. According to legend, he chose the site when he found his wife's veil, blown away by the wind, caught on a bush here. The abbey's greatest treasure is the Verdun Altar, a masterpiece of medieval enamel work by Nicholas of Verdun, completed in 1181. The abbey also owns extensive vineyards, and its winery is one of the oldest in Austria.
The riding around Klosterneuburg is a mix of city and countryside. The Vienna Woods, the Wienerwald, rise behind the town, with winding roads through beech forests and over hills, popular with Viennese riders on weekends. The Höhenstraße, a scenic road built in the 1930s, runs along the hills above Vienna with views over the city and the Danube; parts of it are cobbled and slippery when wet. Along the Danube, the road to Tulln and the Wachau is flat and easy. Traffic near Vienna is heavy, and speed limits are strictly enforced.
Klosterneuburg is a town of fifteen thousand with fuel and all services, and its centre has cafés and restaurants. The Heurigen, wine taverns serving new wine and simple food, are a Viennese tradition, and there are many in Klosterneuburg and the neighbouring villages. Remember the strict drink-driving limits. The abbey offers guided tours, and the view from its terrace over the Danube is lovely, especially in the evening when the river turns silver and the lights of Vienna come on in the distance.