On the 17 kilometer long Tour from Oberbergern to Mautern you will experience the wonderful wine country, litte wine villages and the sacred „Göttweigerberg“ (hill). The immense Göttweig abbey, the plateau „Am Giritzer“, die Lössschlucht (loess canyon) Zellergraben and Ferdinandwarte (observation tower) are special highlights on this tour.
Description
Wachau World Heritage Trail: from Oberbergern to Mautern
From Oberbergern the way leads via Göttweig abbey to Mautern. About 17 kilometers you walk through vineyards of the Wachau and Kremstal (valley), passing numerous taverns and enjoying great views.Through rich wood and meadow areas the way leads past the plateau „Am Giritzer“, into the imposing loess canyon „Zellergraben“ and all the way to the Roman city Mautern.
Starting point of the tour
Oberbergern, chapel
Destination point of the tour
Mautern, town hall square
Route description Wachau World Heritage Trail 13: Oberbergern - Mautern
The tour starts at the chapel in Oberbergern. You leave the picturesque farming village northbound. After about 150 m you leave the village. The gravel path leads through blooming fields, accompanied by wonderful views to Ferdinandwarte (observation tower). From the crossing it only takes about 5 minutes to get to the observation tower. Now your eyes can wander around and you will have a view of Loiben, Dürnstein and Krems. Now you follow the gravel path until Unterbergern. At the village several taverns invite you to come in. Behind the church you follow the main road straight ahead for about 300 meters and then turn left and immediately after right again. Now the way leads up and at the next crossing take the left. After a few minutes you reach plateau „Am Giritzer“. Shortly before the airfield for model planes you keep right and you will reach a small forest and the red cross. There you follow the path straight on and get to the rest area at the linden tree to „Baumgarten“ (tree garden), where you get a great view of Krems, Stein, Mautern and Göttweig abbey. Now turn right and walk on the country road for a little while and at the next diversion you turn left into the gravel path „Zeiling“. You follow this path until the end and turn right at the main road. You walk through the „Steinaweger Kellergasse“ (cellar alley) and after about 150m down left to Steinaweg. Arrived below you walk right and then left over a small bridge and reach „Steinaweger“ chapel.
Via a further small bridge over the creek Fladnitz you start the rise up to Göttweiger Berg (hill) and the abbey. After crossing the rails the way leads up. Through untouched hornbeam, oak and pine woods the way leads up to Göttweig abbey (stamp station), where you have the opportunity for a rest at the restaurant belonging to the abbey. Afterwards you walk steadily down into the wine village Furth. At the trainstation you keep left and walk down below the rails. At the second road turn left into „Kargelmayer-Gasse“ (alley) and parallel to creek Fladnitz (on the right hand side). Crossing the next bridge and reach the church of Furth (patron Saint Wolfgang). Walking below the church and then directly up the hill via (St. Wolfgang-Weg) you reach the cellar trench of Furth with taverns and walk right. At the next crossing turn left and now you are in the loess canyon „Zellergraben“. The loess walls are the most imposing ones in the whole region and are a nature monument. At the end of the canyon you reach rest place „Zellerkreuz“ (cross) and turn right through the cellar path and the vineyards of Furth and Mautern (Silberbichl). At the end of the path you turn right and keep going until main road where the military base is located. You turn left, cross the round about and follow the road until town hall square, where the tour ends.
Directions
Highway A1 until exit Melk, following B33 to Mautern and via the country road to Oberbergern.
Parking
In the center of Oberbergern or at the „Römerhalle“ in Mautern.
The villages can be reached 7 days a week by public transportation (bus or train). Its possible to get back to the start of the tour.
During the week on workdays the bus service 1453 is operating between the villages. Travelling on weekends or public holidays shuttle bus service Göttweig (WL 723: Krems-Mautern-Unterbergern-Oberbergern-Göttweig-Furth-Mautern-Krems) is operating on a fixed route. It has to be called one hour prior of departure. Phone: 0043 810 810 278 to make reservation. You can reach Mautern by taking bus WL 720 departing from the trainstations of Krems or Melk. www.vor.at
A station for the bike rent system „nextbike“ (1€ per hour) is located in Mautern at the „Römerhalle“. www.nextbike.at
Author's tip
To loess path „Zellergraben“ and Göttweigerberg there is an extremelysuccessful conservation brochure: “Natura Trail wine & nature”,www.nfi.at (section Natura Trails). The information folder is a good addition to the hiking tour.
