Thayatal: amidst woods and rivers in the wild heart of Lower Austria

In the far north of Austria, where the River Thaya forms the border with the Czech Republic for long stretches, lies a landscape still largely unknown to international tourists. This is the Thayatal National Park, established in 2000 and now part of a cross-border protected area that also includes the neighbouring Czech national park, Národní Podyjí, creating one of the most biodiverse riverine environments in Central Europe, which can be explored on foot along trails winding through woods and valleys. The dominant feature is the forest, which covers around 90 per cent of the park, although it is the course of the River Thaya that shapes its geography, with deep bends carved into the rock of the Bohemian Massif, gorges and wooded slopes, meadows and numerous microhabitats (44 per cent of Austria’s native flora is found here, and it is home to the European wildcat, a species long thought to be extinct). Leaving the wonders of the park behind, a tour of Lower Austria can continue through small historic towns such as Hardegg, Zwettl and Retz, with a visit to one of the many gems of a rich historical heritage comprising abbeys, monasteries, castles and palaces. In Drosendorf, finally, a stop is a must to visit the historic lido on the River Thaya, which still boasts a wooden pavilion dating from 1929, and to take a closer look at the Renaissance palace (now converted into a hotel) that preserves the memory of Maria Theresa’s visits during her journeys between Vienna and Prague.

https://www.lower-austria.info/

https://www.np-thayatal.at/