Page 145 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

L ower A UST r I A A nd BU r G enLAnd  143

with lovely, decorated portals. Spitz is Willendorf, where the
The former convent of St Claire famous statuette of the Venus
is now an inn; the Renaissance of Willendorf was found. This
castle a hotel. representation of female fertility
is believed to be over 25,000
years old. The figure itself is now
kept in Vienna’s Natural History
Museum (see p86), while an
over-life-sized copy stands in
a field near Willendorf.

r Spitz Ruins of the formidable 12th-century
Road map F3. * 1,600. @ g Burg Aggstein
Tel (02713) 23 63.
t Burg Aggstein
On the banks of the River Road map F3. g
Danube at the foot of the
Tausendeimerberg (thousand The impressive ruins of Burg
bucket hill, so called because Aggstein, built into the rock, are
of the amount of wine it was poised high above the banks of
said to produce), nestles the the river. Today the castle lies
The Baroque tower of the Pfarr kirche enchanting town of Spitz an in ruin, but once it measured
in Dürnstein der Donau. The river was some 100 m (330 ft) in length,
once important to the town’s with tall stairs leading to the
economic life, and the Upper Castle. Built by the noto-
e Weissenkirchen Schifffahrtsmuseum tells the rious Kuenringers, a band of
Road map F3. * 1,500. @ £ story of the Danube navigation. robber barons, it served to repel
Tel (02715) 2600. Another famous sight is the attacks by Turks and Swedes
Pfarrkirche, the early-Gothic during the 16th and 17th centu-
The small village in the heart parish church of St Maurice, ries, thus cementing its rank as
of the Wachau Valley has furnished in late-Gothic style. one of the most important
attracted artists since 1900, who The church has a presbytery fortresses in the region.
come to paint the magnificent (1508), criss-cross vaulting and Many gruesome stories are
scenery of the Danube gorge elaborate window lacework. told about the castle’s early
and to enjoy the cosy inns. The altar painting is by Kremser days. Its owner, an unmitigated
Today, their works can be seen Schmidt. Lovely wooden statues thief, was said to have laid in
in the Wachaumuseum, in the from around 1380, showing wait for passing barges and
Teisenhoferhof, a Renaissance Christ and the apostles, are set in demanded a hefty toll to allow
mansion. Another attraction niches along the Gothic gallery. them passage. Those who
is the Wehrkirche Mariä High above the town looms refused to pay were imprisoned
Himmelfahrt (Church of the the ruin of Hinterhaus Castle, in the Rosengärtlein, a rose
Assumption of the Virgin Mary), with its Gothic bulwark and garden set on a rocky shelf, where
on a hilltop, fortified against Renaissance fortifications. they would either die of hunger
Turkish raiders. The well- or jump to their death.
preserved defence towers are E Schifffahrtsmuseum Today, the picturesque
remains of those fortifications. Auf der Wehr 21. Tel (02713) 2246. Burg Aggstein and its café
The main entrance to the Open Apr–Oct: 10am–noon, 2–4pm are popular destinations for
church is through the western Mon–Sat, 10am–4pm Sun & hols. a day trip from Vienna.
portal, which has fine mouldings.
Inside, on the rainbow arch, is
a beautiful painting (1520)
of the Madonna, from the
Danube School.
E Wachaumuseum
Tel (02715) 2268. Open Apr–Oct:
10am–5pm Tue–Sun. &
Environs: Situated between
Weissenkirchen and Spitz is the
small village of St Michael, with
another example of a fortified
church. A few miles beyond The romantic ruins of Hinterhaus Castle in Spitz

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