Description
917 meters of old walls and six towers: Zwettl is one of the towns in Lower Austria that is still protected by historic town walls. A walk along these walls takes you on an interesting journey: History, tradition, 300 years of brewing art and pure adventure lie along the way. Behind gates that have long since disappeared, you enter a cycling and hiking paradise. What more could you want?
Behind the town walls
The name Zwettl is of Slavic origin and means clearing or clearing. Apart from this interpretation of the name, however, no Slavic remains or settlements are known. The Kuenringers founded the town in 1139. In the Battle of Zwettl in 1427, it is besieged three times without success by the Hussites under the commander Andreas Prokop - the nearby monastery, however, is plundered. Zwettl suffered heavily during the Thirty Years' War as well as at the hands of Bohemia (1618) and Sweden (1645). Zwettl is incorporated in 1850. Until 1868, the Weitra Gate with its own gate tower was located where traffic flows into the town today. On July 4, 1896, the local railroad Schwarzenau-Zwettl is opened and at the turn of the century the town wall falls down to today's Berggasse. The merger of 13 municipalities in 1971 created the municipality of Zwettl-Niederösterreich in its present form. In August 2002, heavy rainfall leads to a devastating flood that causes extensive damage. The records of the town's 800-year history tell of no comparable flood disaster. With an area of 256 km², Zwettl is one of the largest municipalities in Austria.
Valuable contemporary witnesses
The Anton Tower at the north-western corner of the town wall has become the landmark of the Kuenringer town of Zwettl. Its irregular heptagonal ground plan makes it unmistakable, and at four storeys it is the highest surviving tower. A stately appearance, directly on the steep banks of the Zwettl. The Schulturm, on the other hand, houses the Schneider Natural History Collection with hundreds of exotic animal specimens. What else is hidden behind the old walls? From the old town hall to the modern work of art by Leslie de Melo - Zwettl offers variety and flair, interesting and entertaining things to see. There are many guided tours to choose from - you can be curious and stay!
Experience the town wall
Since 2023, the Zwettl town wall in the Promenade has been freely accessible via a new staircase. Along these, guests travel 800 years into the past via information stations with historical photos and modern audio examples and discover all kinds of interesting facts about the town wall and the historic SONNENTOR Stadt-Lofts. The experience stations bring the history of the town wall to life.
The staircase along the wall is freely accessible daily between April 1 and October 31 from 9.00 am to 6.00 pm.
