Wachau
A valley carved by the Danube in Lower Austria between Melk and Krems, listed by UNESCO as a cultural landscape. Terraced vineyards and apricot orchards climb the slopes, with medieval towns, castles and abbeys along the river.
- Where
- Krems, Lower Austria, Austria
- Grade
- UNESCO heritage
- Worth
- 10 points collected on site, plus 8 for its grade
- Coordinates
- 48.3644, 15.4342
Get the Wachau stamp
Open LOQAH when you are at Wachau. It checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp is yours: confirmed on site in gold and struck with the date. It goes into your Lower Austria volume with your photos and a note.
Near Wachau
Dürnstein Castle Ruins 7.5 km
The ruin of a medieval rock castle high above the village of Dürnstein in the Wachau valley, 312 metres above sea level on the Danube. Local tradition says King Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner here in 1192.
Göttweig Abbey 13 km
A Benedictine monastery on a hilltop near Krems in Lower Austria, founded in 1083 by Altmann, Bishop of Passau. In the Middle Ages it was a seat of learning with a library and a monastic school, and its baroque stairway hall is famous.
Melk Abbey 17 km
A Benedictine abbey on a rocky outcrop above the Danube at the edge of the Wachau. Its Baroque church and library were built in the early 18th century, and the abbey also runs a school and a museum.
Zwentendorf Nuclear Power Plant 33 km
A finished nuclear plant on the Danube that never ran, because Austrians voted against starting it in a referendum in 1978. Today it is used for guided tours and training, and parts of it are open to visitors.
Vienna Woods 47 km
Forested hills on the north eastern edge of the Alps, spreading across Lower Austria and the western edge of Vienna. They are a favourite place for hiking and wine taverns, and are a biosphere reserve.
Ötscher 58 km
A prominent peak of 1,893 metres in south western Lower Austria, in the Ybbstal Alps of the Northern Limestone Alps. Its name has Slavic roots and is roughly a diminutive of father.
Lainzer Tiergarten 61 km
A wildlife preserve of 24.5 square kilometres in the south west corner of Vienna, with 80 percent of it woodland. It dates to 1561, when Ferdinand I created it as a fenced hunting ground for his family.
Heiligenkreuz Abbey 62 km
A Cistercian monastery in the southern Vienna Woods, founded in 1133 and in continuous use ever since. It has a Romanesque and Gothic church and a cloister, and a theological school with many students today.
More UNESCO World Heritage sites in Lower Austria
Questions
Where is Wachau?
Wachau is in Krems, Lower Austria, Austria. The nearest other LOQAH stamps are Dürnstein Castle Ruins (7.5 km), Göttweig Abbey (13 km), Melk Abbey (17 km).
How do I get the Wachau stamp?
Open LOQAH when you are at Wachau and get its stamp. The app checks where you are once, at that moment, and the stamp goes into your Lower Austria volume, confirmed on site, with the date.
I have been to Wachau before. Can I still have the stamp?
Yes. Add it from Earlier trips in your Lower Austria volume, with the date if you know it, or import your Google Timeline and LOQAH matches the places you were.
Collect your first stamp.
LOQAH is free on iPhone and Android, in India and 40 more countries, with more countries on the way. Stand at a place, collect its stamp, and keep every trip in a passport that grows.