Passau Altstadt - Kastell and Enns - Gräberstraße

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Passau Altstadt - Kastell

   Passau sits at the point where three rivers meet, in the far east of Bavaria, close to the Austrian border: the Danube, which is a cold greenish-blue here, the Inn, which arrives milky green from the Alps, and the Ilz, a small, dark river that stains the water black from the peat of the Bavarian Forest. On a still day you can see all three colours running side by side at the tip of the old town, which is why people call it the City of Three Rivers, and sometimes the Bavarian Venice.

   Read the complete Passau Altstadt - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Passau Altstadt - Kastell is where the day begins. Next is Oberranna - Kleinkastell.

2. 2. Oberranna - Kleinkastell

   The Danube between Passau and Linz is one of the loveliest stretches of the whole river, and near Oberranna, on the Upper Austrian bank, it flows quietly between steep wooded slopes, dark and almost gorge-like. Here, beside the water, archaeologists found a small Roman fort, a Kleinkastell, part of the Danube Limes that guarded the northern frontier of the province of Noricum. Its remains are now protected under a modern shelter, and it forms part of the UNESCO listing of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire along the Danube.

   Read the complete Oberranna - Kleinkastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Oberranna - Kleinkastell comes up about 33 km into the recorded legs. Next is Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm.

3. 3. 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

   about 76 km into the recorded legs you reach Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm. Next is Enns - Gräberstraße.

4. 4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm.

5. 5. back through 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

   back through Hirschleitengraben - Wachtturm sits at 149 km, about halfway. Next is back through Oberranna - Kleinkastell.

6. 6. back through Oberranna - Kleinkastell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Oberranna - Kleinkastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Oberranna - Kleinkastell comes up about 175 km into the recorded legs. Next is Passau Altstadt - Kastell.

7. 7. Passau Altstadt - Kastell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Passau Altstadt - Kastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Passau Altstadt - Kastell closes the day.