Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm and Enns - Legionslager Zentralbereich

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm

   Just west of Linz, the Danube narrows and the steep, wooded slopes of the Kürnberger Wald rise from its southern bank. In the Roman period this river was the frontier of the empire, and the soldiers who guarded it built a chain of forts and watchtowers along the bank to watch for raiders crossing from the north. The Hirschleitengraben watchtower is one of these, a small Roman tower in a side ravine of the forest, part of the Danube Limes, which UNESCO listed in 2021 as one of the great frontiers of the Roman Empire. Its remains are modest, but the position, looking over the river toward Puchenau and the hills of the Mühlviertel, makes the purpose clear.

   Read the complete Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm is where the day begins. Next is Enns - Gräberstraße.

2. 2. Enns - Gräberstraße

   Enns claims to be the oldest town in Austria, on the strength of a charter granted in 1212, but its roots go much deeper. Just outside the modern town lay Lauriacum, a Roman legionary fortress that housed the Second Italian Legion and grew into one of the most important places on the Danube frontier, with a civilian town, temples and, as the Gräberstraße name suggests, roads lined with cemeteries. The Romans buried their dead along the roads outside settlements, and excavations here have found hundreds of graves, stones and offerings. The site is part of the Danube Limes World Heritage listing.

   Read the complete Enns - Gräberstraße write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Enns - Gräberstraße comes up about 28 km into the recorded legs. Next is Wallsee - Kastell.

3. 3. Wallsee - Kastell

   Wallsee is one of those Danube villages that people cycle through on the long riverside path without guessing how much history sits under their tyres. A castle rises on a rock above the river, and beneath and around the village lie the remains of a Roman fort that guarded this stretch of the Danube frontier. It is part of the Danube Limes World Heritage Site, inscribed in 2021, which follows the river from Bavaria through Austria to Slovakia, a line of forts, watchtowers and towns that held the northern edge of the empire for centuries.

   Read the complete Wallsee - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 62 km into the recorded legs you reach Wallsee - Kastell. Next is Enns - Legionslager Zentralbereich.

4. 4. Enns - Legionslager Zentralbereich

   Where the little River Enns joins the Danube, about twenty kilometres upstream of Linz, the Romans built their frontier. This was Lauriacum, headquarters of the Second Italic Legion, who were stationed here from the late second century to guard the northern edge of the empire, the province of Noricum, against the tribes beyond the river. Around the fortress grew a civilian town that at its height may have held many thousands of people, and later a bishop is said to have lived here. The modern town of Enns, which takes pride in being the oldest in Austria, grew up beside it, and the legionary camp lay under what is now a mix of fields, streets and suburbs.

   Read the complete Enns - Legionslager Zentralbereich write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Enns - Legionslager Zentralbereich, about halfway. Next is back through Wallsee - Kastell.

5. 5. back through Wallsee - Kastell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Wallsee - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Wallsee - Kastell sits at 105 km, about halfway. Next is back through Enns - Gräberstraße.

6. 6. back through Enns - Gräberstraße

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Enns - Gräberstraße write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Enns - Gräberstraße comes up about 148 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm.

7. 7. Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm closes the day.