Zwentendorf - Kastell and Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm · 162 km from Zwentendorf

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 Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell.

2. 2. Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell

   Before there was a Vienna, there was a frontier. For some four hundred years the Danube formed the northern boundary of the Roman empire in central Europe, and a chain of forts, watchtowers and harbours kept watch along the south bank. Zeiselmauer, about thirty kilometres upstream from the modern capital, was one of them, and a stretch of Roman wall with a tower still stands in the village, incorporated into later buildings. The Danube Limes in Austria, Germany and Slovakia was listed by UNESCO in 2021.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell comes up about 26 km into the recorded legs. Next is Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld.

3. 3. Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld

   Vienna began as a Roman legionary camp, Vindobona, on a terrace above the Danube, and its streets still follow some of the old lines. The camp itself was in what is now the inner city, around Hoher Markt, and the canabae, the civilian settlement that grew up beside it, spread out to the west and south with workshops, taverns, houses and cemeteries. The Gräberfeld, the field of graves, lay beyond, as Roman custom demanded. The remains here are mostly underground and under pavements, which suits a city that has built on every layer of its past.

   Read the complete Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   about 54 km into the recorded legs you reach Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld. Next is Zeiselmauer - Kastell Hufeisenturm.

4. 4. 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, about halfway. Next is back through Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld.

5. 5. back through Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Wien - Canabae West und Gräberfeld sits at 105 km, about halfway. Next is back through Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell.

6. 6. back through Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   Read the complete Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

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

   Planning note

   back through Zeiselmauer - Kleinkastell comes up about 136 km into the recorded legs. Next is Zwentendorf - Kastell.

7. 7. 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

   Zwentendorf - Kastell closes the day.