The Donauauen National Park lies to a small extent in Vienna and mostly in Lower Austria and extends over a river length of 36 km along both banks of the Danube from Lobau in Vienna / Donaustadt to the confluence of the March, which is the border to the Slovakia forms.
getting there
with public transport
To Lobau: From the Kagran station on the U1 or Aspernstraße (U2) with the urban bus 26A to Groß-Enzersdorf. From the Donaustadtbrücke station (U2) take the 92A bus to the oil port.
To the north bank of Lower Austria: By bus from Vienna / Donauzentrum to Orth / Donau or Stopfenreuth.
To the south bank: From Wien Mitte station with the S7 express train (stops Maria Ellend, Haslau, Regelsbrunn, Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, Hainburg).
individually
The north bank of the Danube is easily accessible from the B3 (Vienna-Marchegg), the south bank from the B9 (Schwechat-Bratislava)
The north bank can be reached by bike via the Danube Cycle Path Vienna-Bratislava. There are also cycle paths along the south bank from Schwechat.
mobility
The Danube Cycle Path Vienna-Bratislava runs along the north bank. It begins at the Lobau oil port and leads along the Hubertusdamm to the Hainburg Danube bridge.
Between Vienna and Hainburg there is no bridge over the Danube, but there is a ferry (pedestrians and cyclists only) between Orth / Donau and Haslau.
Most of the national park is not allowed to be entered with cars. Cycling and horse riding are only allowed on paths that are expressly permitted. Hikers are also not allowed to leave the marked trails so that the game is not disturbed. Driving on the oxbow lakes with boats is also prohibited.
background
In the early 1980s it was planned to build a river power station near Hainburg. The Danube floodplains would have disappeared in the dammed up river. When construction work was due to begin in 1984, the Au west of Hainburg was simply occupied by environmentalists after unsuccessful protests. The power plant opponents held out for days in freezing temperatures in the Au and there were sometimes clashes between demonstrators and authorities. Finally, the power plant project was abandoned and the floodplain was subsequently declared a protected area and finally a national park.
nature
The Danube (on average 350 m wide) is almost natural along the entire route. Many endangered animal and plant species have resettled since 1984. There are currently special projects for the white-tailed eagle and the barn owl, which were almost extinct here.
Tourist Attractions
Interesting man-made sights in the national park or in the vicinity are:
- 1 National Park House Vienna - Lobau, Dechantweg 8, 1220 Vienna. Tel.: 43 1 400049495. Information point, sales of books and brochures, adventure playground, exhibitions, seminars and other events.Open: beginning of March to the end of October, Wed to Sun 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
North bank
- Tank farm and oil port Lobau
- Seestadt Aspern
- Old town center from Groß-Enzersdorf
- Old town center and castle from Orth on the Danube
- Marchfeld castles (i.a. Schloss Hof, Marchegg)
- Theben Castle and Thebener Kogel (Devín, district of Bratislava)
South bank
- Silly harbor
- Center of Schwechat
- Schwechat oil refinery
- Airport Wien-Schwechat with one of the tallest control towers in Europe
- Historic center of Fischamend
- Roman excavations and Heidentor in Petronell-Carnuntum
- Hainburg on the Danube with the historic city center, city gates, castle and Braunsberg
activities
- National park boat. Tel.: 43 1 4000-49495, Email: [email protected]. Boat tours are available from May 2nd to October 26th. You drive to the visitor center in the Lobau, there you get a one-hour guided hike through the Au and then you go back again. Departure daily at 9 a.m. from the pier on the Danube Canal by the Salztorbrücke (bank of the 1st district), duration 4 1/2 hours, € 12 adults, € 6 children from 6 to 15 years (2019). Children under 6 free. Registration required.
information
A detailed documentation of the animal and plant species present here can be found in the National Park Center in Schloss Orth / Donau.
