Enns - St. Laurenz and Schlögen - Kastell

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Enns - St. Laurenz

   Enns claims to be the oldest town in Austria, and it has the paperwork to prove it. The town received its city rights in 1212, and long before that, the Romans built a legionary fortress here named Lauriacum, one of the major bases on the Danube frontier. A civilian settlement, the canabae, grew up outside its walls, and the church of St Laurenz stands on part of that ground, with a basilica that has Roman-era origins and layers of medieval rebuilding.

   Read the complete Enns - St. Laurenz write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Enns - St. Laurenz is where the day begins. Next is Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg.

2. 2. Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg

   Linz is a city that has reinvented itself. For much of the twentieth century it was known mainly for its steelworks and its uncomfortable links with the Nazi period; today it markets itself as a city of culture and technology, with the Ars Electronica centre glowing on the Danube bank at night, the Lentos art museum opposite, and a lively music scene. The Schlossberg, the castle hill above the old town, is where it all began: the Romans had a fort here called Lentia, part of the Danube frontier of the empire, and the Danube Limes is now on the World Heritage list. The castle that stands there now dates largely from the Renaissance, built for Emperor Frederick III, who spent his last years in Linz and died here in 1493. It houses a branch of the Upper Austrian state museum.

   Read the complete Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg comes up about 25 km into the recorded legs. Next is Schlögen - Kastell.

3. 3. Schlögen - Kastell

   The Danube here performs one of its most famous tricks. Forced by hard granite, the river makes two tight hairpin turns, the Schlögener Schlinge, doubling back on itself in a loop so neat it looks drawn with a compass. From the viewpoint on the wooded slope above, a short walk from the road, you look down on the river curling around a forested spur, and it is one of the classic images of Upper Austria.

   Read the complete Schlögen - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 66 km into the recorded legs you reach Schlögen - Kastell. Next is back through Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg.

4. 4. back through Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   back through Linz - Befestigung Schlossberg, late in the day. Next is Enns - St. Laurenz, 34 km on.

5. 5. Enns - St. Laurenz

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Enns - St. Laurenz write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Back at Enns - St. Laurenz. That is the ride.