Zwettl: Accommodation amid Waldviertel Trails, Nature and Culture

The Waldviertel Cultural Trail 665 leads from Zwettl via Zwettl Abbey, Friedersbach, the Ottenstein recreation centre, Rastenfeld, Rastenberg, Brand, Loschberg and Waldhausen.

Waldviertel Landscape and Selected Trails

Loschberg in Waldhausen reaches an elevation of 800 metres. In good weather, the panoramic view extends across the Waldviertel landscape as far as Jauerling, Ötscher and Schneeberg. If you are planning a longer hike, the Waldviertel Cultural Trail 665 offers an approximately 102-kilometre circular hiking trail. Its route passes through several towns and returns to the starting area as a circular trail.

Shorter routes also have their own special focus. The Waldhausen circular hiking trail is designed as a five-hour hiking route and starts at the sports field. The five-kilometre Höllfall Trail begins in Pretrobruck near Arbesbach, leads through the forest to Höllfall and then returns to the starting point. The Wiesenreith Eco Mile is also a circular trail, but is specifically dedicated to the themes of landscape and agriculture.

The area around Höllfall is designated as a natural monument and a European protected area. There, small waterfalls make their way over and between thousands of granite boulders.

Experience Nature and Observe Animals

BÄRENWALD Arbesbach is a sanctuary run by the animal protection organisation FOUR PAWS for bears in need. It offers bear observation, a visitor trail with information stations, an exhibition and play areas. BÄRENWALD also offers guided tours with information about bears. It is also the starting and finishing point of the Bärentrail hiking network.

The Crooked Creek Ranch in Waldhausen can be visited by prior telephone booking. Nine alpacas, four horses, one dog and two cats currently live there. Manada de Sana offers farm tours and hikes with alpacas.

Culture, Technology and Regional Specialities

Schwarzenau Castle is a Renaissance castle. The former castle was first mentioned in a document in 1150; the grounds include a park and a pond. The Arbesbach Blacksmith Museum features a revitalised hammer mill with original reconstructed and restored water wheels in operation. At the 180er KIKKER Tractor Museum of a Different Kind, visitors can view large tractors and model tractors in scales of 1:16, 1:32, 1:43 and 1:87.

Kottes-Purk is located in the Zwettl district, in the wooded hills of the Waldviertel and in the valley of the Kleine Krems. The Weidenauer Distillery in Kottes offers tastings and tours of the production process for spirits and liqueurs made from hand-picked fruit.

The Waldviertel Poppy Farm in Ottenschlag specialises in growing grey, blue and white poppies and produces cold-pressed poppy seed oils from them. Kottes has had an ore and nature trail since 1995, focusing on the geology and human use of the region’s natural resources.

Routes for Hiking, Rail and Cycling

The Kremstal Trail is more than 90 kilometres long and can be started in Kottes. The Waldviertel Railway connects Groß Gerungs and Gmünd with historic steam and diesel locomotives and offers views of the landscape during the journey through the Waldviertel. It also operates between Gmünd and Litschau.

The Thayarunde Waldviertel runs via Göpfritz/Wild, Groß Siegharts, Raabs/Thaya, Pisečné and Slavonice in the Czech Republic, then continues via Waldkirchen, Dobersberg, Thaya and Waidhofen/Thaya. The loop then returns to Göpfritz/Wild either via Windigsteig or via Dietmanns and Groß Siegharts.

Other places: Rappottenstein, Kottes, Bad Traunstein, Griesbach, Municipality of Groß Gerungs, Ottenschlag, Bärnkopf and Rosenau Castle.

For the higher-level travel overview: Lower Austria.