Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Good Morning! Why are you all wearing sun glasses this morning? Oh, I see, you enjoyed the wine yesterday? Maybe a little too much ... [:-^] Westward Ho! Time to leave Vienna and make our way westwards! We will be leaving Vienna by boat, steaming upstream through the lovely Wachau. The Wachau  is an Austrian valley with a picturesque landscape formed by the Danube river. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located midway between the towns of Melk and Krems that also attracts "connoisseurs and epicureans". It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. A well-known place and tourist attraction is Dürnstein, where King Richard the Lion-Heart of England was held captive by Duke Leopold V. The architectural elegance of its ancient monasteries (Melk and Göttweig Abbey), castles and ruins combined with the urban architecture of its towns and villages, and the cultivation of vines as an important agricultural produce are the dominant features of the valley.The Wachau was inscribed as "Wachau Cultural Landscape" in the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history, in December 2000.<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wachau#cite_note-Unesco-1"></a> <a href="http://www.schiffbilder.de/bilder/donau-3520.jpg"><img src="http://www.schiffbilder.de/bilder/donau-3520.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.seilwurf.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/durnstein.JPG"><img src="http://www.seilwurf.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/durnstein.JPG" alt=" " border="0" /></a> <a href="http://img.fotocommunity.com/images/Niederoesterreich/Wachau/Wachau-Schloss-Schoenbuehel-a25502239.jpg"><img src="http://img.fotocommunity.com/images/Niederoesterreich/Wachau/Wachau-Schloss-Schoenbuehel-a25502239.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> Around noon, we will be arriving at Melk Abbey. Melk Abbey or Stift Melk<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melk_Abbey#cite_note-1"></a> is an Austrian Benedictine abbey, and one of the world's most famous monastic sites. It is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the river Danube in Lower Austria, adjoining the Wachau valley. The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey. A monastic school, the Stiftsgymnasium Melk, was founded in the 12th century, and the monastic library soon became renowned for its extensive manuscript collection. The monastery's scriptorium was also a major site for the production of manuscripts. In the 15th century the abbey became the centre of the Melk Reform movement which reinvigorated the monastic life of Austria and Southern Germany. Today's impressive Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736 to designs by Jakob Prandtauer. Particularly noteworthy is the abbey church with frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and the impressive library with countless medieval manuscripts, including a famed collection of musical manuscripts and frescos by Paul Troger <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Stift_melk_001.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Stift_melk_001.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Stift_Melk_church_dsc01494.jpg/450px-Stift_Melk_church_dsc01494.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Stift_Melk_church_dsc01494.jpg/450px-Stift_Melk_church_dsc01494.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> After our visit, we will take a short bus ride to St. Poelten, where we change to a narrow gauge train to Mariazell. The Mariazell Railway (German: Mariazellerbahn) is an electrically operated narrow-gauge railway (with a track gauge of 760 mm (2 ft 5 7&frasl;8 in)) which connects the Lower Austrian capital Sankt Pölten with the Styrian pilgrimage centre of Mariazell. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mariazellerbahn_03.jpg/800px-Mariazellerbahn_03.jpg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Mariazellerbahn_03.jpg/800px-Mariazellerbahn_03.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> There will be a special train waiting for us, headed by a class Mh 0-8-2 steam loco. <a href="http://www.modelrailforum.com/reviews/Roco_Mh.6/Austria_narrow_gauge_mh6.jpg"><img src="http://www.modelrailforum.com/reviews/Roco_Mh.6/Austria_narrow_gauge_mh6.jpg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> Upon arrival, we will pay a short visit to the famous basilica and later on check into our hotel. There will be time to catch a little rest, before we go for dinner. <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Mariazell_basilika_1.jpeg/450px-Mariazell_basilika_1.jpeg"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Mariazell_basilika_1.jpeg/450px-Mariazell_basilika_1.jpeg" alt=" " border="0" /></a> Enjoy the day!
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag

Update Reply

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Model Railroader Newsletter See all

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!

Subscriber & Member Login

Edit post

Post Body

Tags (Optional)

Subscriber & Member Login

Users Online

Search the Community