Rossatz offers several distinct highlights: circular trails through apricot orchards, paths through vineyards and floodplain landscapes, and architectural history ranging from an Early Gothic core to paintings dating from around 1800. When planning your visit, you can first decide whether you want your days to focus mainly on hiking, landscapes or culture.
Hiking between apricot orchards and the high trail
The Marillenmeile consists of circular hiking trails through apricot orchards, with information boards along the way. Stage 12 of the Welterbesteig Wachau, Rossatz–Unterbergern, starts at Rossatz church square and leads through the nature reserve on Toter Berg to a sandy beach with a bicycle ferry. This gives you a choice between circular trails through orchards and a stage with a named starting point, protected area and beach.
The Rossatz Panorama Trail follows a high trail past vineyards, orchards and stone terraces. Seekopf offers a viewpoint of its own: at 671 metres, it provides views up and down the Danube, east as far as the Tullnerfeld and south towards the distant Alpine peaks of Ă–tscher and DĂĽrrenstein. At Hirschwand, you can climb a rock ridge rising about 15 metres by taking the miniature via ferrata. So, alongside the hiking trails, there is also a viewpoint and a specific climbing option.
Floodplain landscape along the Danube
Pritzenau near Rossatz is a floodplain forest between the Danube and the vineyards. Wide meadows, old trees and quiet side channels are part of this landscape. Walks are possible through the restored floodplain areas along the Danube’s old channels. Rare fish species such as nase, streber and the famous Danube salmon find habitat and refuge in Pritzenau. This nature-focused experience differs from the paths through orchards and vineyards: here, the floodplains and their side channels take centre stage.
Castle and church: architectural history in Rossatz
Rossatz Castle, once the castle of Count Schönborn, features beautiful three-storey arcades. Since 1859, it has been owned by the people of Rossatz in the form of an agricultural cooperative. Rossatz Church reveals further traces of the past: its core displays Early Gothic features dating from around 1320, while the Late Gothic west tower was built in the 15th century. The choir contains paintings from the school of M. J. Schmidt, created around 1800. The core, tower and choir paintings therefore belong to different periods.
Getting there, the ferry and local dining
Bus route 720 runs from Krems and Melk to the “Rossatzbach Bundesstraße” stop; from there, it is a four-minute walk to the starting point of the Rossatz Panorama Trail. The Dürnstein–Rossatz motor ferry connects Dürnstein with Rossatz from Easter to the end of October. If you plan to take the ferry, check the timetable for your travel date and take the operating season into account. Heurigen in Rossatz and Rührsdorf serve regional specialities and Wachau wines. So, when choosing what to focus on, you can consider a local dining stop alongside hiking trails, nature and architectural history.
Discover more destinations: Spitz, Lengenfeld, Furth Bei Göttweig, Stiefern, Schwallenbach, Langenlois, Stratzing, Neuweidling.
See the overview of destinations in the wider area: Krems-Land.
