Zwentendorf - Kastell and Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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

   Zwentendorf - Kastell is where the day begins. Next is Baden bei Wien.

2. 2. Baden bei Wien

   The Romans already knew about the hot sulphur springs at Baden, just south of Vienna, but it was in the early nineteenth century that the town became the summer playground of the Habsburg court. Emperor Franz I spent his summers here, and the aristocracy and the wealthy bourgeoisie followed, building elegant villas, parks and bathhouses in the Biedermeier style. Beethoven came to take the waters too, staying many times and working on his Ninth Symphony in a house that is now a museum. In 2021, Baden was listed by UNESCO as one of the Great Spa Towns of Europe, alongside Bath, Baden-Baden, Karlovy Vary and others.

   Read the complete Baden bei Wien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Baden bei Wien comes up about 68 km into the recorded legs. Next is Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube.

3. 3. Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube

   Marcus Aurelius, emperor and philosopher, spent several years at Carnuntum during his wars against the Germanic tribes north of the Danube, and he is thought to have written part of his Meditations here; the third book carries the note that it was written at Carnuntum. In the second century, this was one of the most important places on the Roman frontier: a legionary fortress, an auxiliary fort and a civil town that grew into the capital of the province of Upper Pannonia, with tens of thousands of inhabitants. Today, the archaeological park at Petronell-Carnuntum and Bad Deutsch-Altenburg shows reconstructed houses, a bath and streets built using Roman methods, two amphitheatres, and the Heidentor, a great ruined triumphal arch standing alone in the fields. The Danube Limes became a World Heritage site in 2021.

   Read the complete Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 130 km into the recorded legs you reach Frontiers of the Roman Empire - The Danube. Next is back through Baden bei Wien.

4. 4. back through Baden bei Wien

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Baden bei Wien write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Baden bei Wien, late in the day. Next is Zwentendorf - Kastell.

5. 5. Zwentendorf - Kastell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   Back at Zwentendorf - Kastell. That is the ride.