젤킹-마츨라인스도르프‬에서 가장 멋진 ‪16‬개의 천연기념물

At the entrance to Melk Abbey

The people of Purgstall hold a memorial service every year on the Sunday after All Souls’ Day.

Description The enormous number of prisoners during the First World War made it necessary to set up camps for them for the first time. One of them was in Purgstall on the Erlauf. Thanks to the attention of a local resident, parts of the former k. u.k. Prisoner of war camp from the First World War will be archaeologically examined. The foundations of four prisoner barracks were found, which - unlike the concrete barracks from the Second World War - were purely wooden post buildings. The barracks each measured around 20.70 m in length and around 10.40 m in width. A shallow ditch between the buildings probably served as drainage.Life in the prison camp The prisoner of war camp in Purgstall was built in April 1915, it covered an area of 50 hectares and could accommodate 24,500 prisoners. Camps like this had become necessary because the usual accommodation of prisoners of war in military accommodation, barracks or fortresses was no longer possible due to their large numbers. Entire barrack towns were created in which not only the prisoners lived, but also the infrastructure for supplies and bureaucratic administration. There were also workshops in which the prisoners produced simple consumer goods. In the Hague Land War Code, the predecessor of the Geneva Convention, the conditions of captivity were precisely regulated. Officers were privileged, they did not have to work like the enlisted men and were even entitled to servants. Teams were not allowed to participate in war efforts against their homeland, e.g. B. in the defense industry. Protection against diseases and epidemics posed a particular challenge, which is why great importance was attached to hygiene. From the prison camp to the summer resort After the war, most of the barracks in Purgstall were demolished, but several two-story houses were built on the foundations using the building materials for the summer resort settlement “Schauboden-Föhrenhain”, in which its own sports and leisure culture developed in the 1920s.Tip : The four kilometer long “Path of Peace” leads through the former camp area and provides information about the lives of the prisoners. (Source: https://www.mostviertel.at/alle-ausflugsziel/a-das-kriegspritenenlager)

Very scenic section of the Danube cycle path.

Beautiful wayside shrine surrounded by birch trees

Access is not easy to find, but a visit to the caves is well worth the "search".

The Wachau is one of the most beautiful sections of the Danube Cycle Path in Austria. You drive through apple orchards and grapevines. You should take some time for this. :)

Roman burial sites over 2000 years old, later used as a pigsty. You can visit the caves, freely accessible, don't forget your torch.