ツヴェットル-ニーダーエスターライヒ周辺のおすすめシティハイキング＆ウォーキング

Lovingly restored, the crenellated wall projection is presented in all its glory, and interactive exhibits offer a vivid glimpse into the city's history. A path and staircase lead to the top of the city wall.

Once likely situated at the boundary between the original town layout and the first town expansion dating from before 1230, the so-called "Moser Tower" is now integrated into the house at Schulgasse 10. The three-story defensive tower has a ground plan in the shape of an outwardly curved triangle, resembling the prow of a ship. The masonry of the tower and that of the town wall in this area dates from the second half of the 13th century and is thus among the oldest surviving parts of Zwettl's town fortifications. In the early 17th century, it was called the Water Tower, probably because of the large town pond that at that time stretched from its base to the dam, today's Gartenstraße. The currently used name derives from the Moser family, who owned the tower and the adjacent house from 1870 to 1961.

The three bells originally located in the church tower, dating from 1779, 1818, and 1881, had fallen victim to the wars. To mark the 700th anniversary of the Zwettl Citizens' Hospital Foundation – now called "Zwettl Citizens' Foundation - St. Martin's Senior Center" – three new bells were acquired in 1998 and installed in the bell chamber of St. Martin's Church tower, which had been empty for over 50 years.

The old civic hospital, which was located outside the city gate before 1295, was one of the oldest in the region. In 1427, during their unsuccessful siege of the city, the Hussites destroyed the hospital and the adjoining St. Martin's Chapel. The new civic hospital was built on land acquired by the citizens of Zwettl in 1438 near the New Market and opened in 1448. The newly built hospital church was placed under the patronage of St. Martin. Gothic stonework can still be seen in the church today: the portal to the sacristy, the sedentary niche, and the square tabernacle. A late Gothic Madonna and Child standing on a crescent moon was restored in 1995 by Ralf Wittig from Zwettl and installed in the apse above the altar.

The local authorities succeeded in persuading the master artist Hundertwasser to design and construct a fountain in the main square. The presentation of the fountain model met with both widespread approval and vehement opposition from the residents of Zwettl. In 1994, the fountain, consisting of three main elements—the two fountain columns with basins and the pavilion—was unveiled to the public. Since then, it has been a popular meeting place in the heart of the town. Friedensreich Hundertwasser died in February 2000 at the age of 71.

Until the end of the 19th century, a monumental fountain stood in the middle of the main square, the terminus of Zwettl's oldest water supply system, dating back to the early 17th century; a place where the population gathered, not just to fetch water. A war memorial was erected here in 1925, and from the mid-20th century onward, the square in the heart of the town was primarily used as a park. In the early 1990s, the municipality of Zwettl decided to redesign the main square. The aim was to give the town an attractive central point once again and thus preserve the tradition of the old Zwettl main square for the present and future. Friedensreich Hundertwasser, born Friedrich Stowasser in 1928, had owned an old mill on the banks of the Kamp River above Zwettl since the 1970s.

Both the exterior and the interior of the church, with its cross-ribbed and cross-ribbed vaults, underwent a fundamental renovation in 1992. The new interior design was created by Helga Jurenitsch, an architect born in Zwettl, while the stained-glass windows, fired in Schlierbach, were designed by Linde Waber, a Zwettl artist renowned far beyond Austria's borders. The bronze figure of the Risen Christ, mounted on the front of the church, is the work of Professor Josef Elter.

On Hammerleiten, between the houses at Weitraer Straße 11 and 13, stands the "Evangelical Schönerer Church," donated by Georg Ritter von Schönerer, the then-owner of Rosenau Castle. The church was built in 1903, and the first service was held there on Easter Monday of 1904. That Schönerer was a supporter of the "Away from Rome" movement, which arose shortly before 1900, and an ardent admirer of the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, can still be seen in the inscriptions on and inside the church – historical documents from an extremely difficult and conflict-ridden time. Today, the former "Schönerer Memorial Church," formerly also called the "Away from Rome Chapel," bears the name "Church of the Resurrection." The Zwettl preaching station originally belonged to the Evangelical parish of Krems an der Donau; since 1964, it has been part of the parish of Horn.