Historic Centre of Vienna and Zwentendorf - Kastell

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Historic Centre of Vienna

   Vienna's historic centre has been rebuilt many times, but it never lost its sense of itself as the capital of an empire. The medieval city grew around the cathedral of St Stephen, whose patterned tile roof and soaring south tower have dominated the skyline since the fourteenth century, and later the Habsburgs added the Hofburg palace, the baroque palaces of the nobility and the grand squares. In the 1850s, the old city walls were pulled down and replaced by the Ringstrasse, a wide boulevard lined with the Opera, the Parliament, the university, the city hall and the museums, all in historic styles, which is itself a part of the listed ensemble.

   Read the complete Historic Centre of Vienna write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Historic Centre of Vienna is where the day begins. Next is Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm.

2. 2. Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm

   Zeiselmauer is a village that grew up inside a Roman fort, and it never quite moved out. The late Roman fort of Cannabiaca guarded this stretch of the Danube near Tulln, part of the frontier of the province of Noricum, and its walls, gate and towers were absorbed into the village over the centuries. One of the best-preserved features is a horseshoe-shaped tower, typical of late Roman fortifications, and a later fortlet within the fort, with walls standing several metres high, is one of the most impressive Roman buildings in Austria. Zeiselmauer is part of the Danube Limes, listed by UNESCO in 2021.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm comes up about 27 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zwentendorf - Kastell.

3. 3. Zwentendorf - Kastell

   The Danube flows broad and brown past Zwentendorf, a quiet village on the Tullnerfeld plain west of Vienna, and for once the most famous building in the area is not the oldest one. Zwentendorf is where Austria built a nuclear power station in the 1970s and then, after a national referendum in 1978, decided never to switch it on. The plant still stands by the river, complete and unused, now a training site and a curiosity.

   Read the complete Zwentendorf - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 53 km into the recorded legs you reach Zwentendorf - Kastell. Next is back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm.

4. 4. back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm, late in the day. Next is Historic Centre of Vienna.

5. 5. Historic Centre of Vienna

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Historic Centre of Vienna write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Back at Historic Centre of Vienna. That is the ride.