"Restricted area" Wachau

The Danube: from a magnet for visitors to a stumbling block?

The bridge in Mautern is closed for the time being. The rockfall above the B33 is already a natural barrier, and clearing it will take a year.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Büro LR Landbauer NÖ Straßendienst)

The Wachau is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and not just according to UNESCO. But the rockslide on the south bank at the beginning of June and the closure of the Mautern Danube bridge are a pain in the stomach for innkeepers.

The Danube - and this is undisputed - is the great attraction of the Wachau. Without it, there would be no beautiful banks, no internationally famous wine, no world heritage site. And yet, for some months now, the blue river has been more of a divider than a unifier. Since the rockslide in Aggsbach at the beginning of June, the B33, a neuralgic traffic axis so popular with local residents and (cycling) tourists, has been closed. It will remain so until next year, until the rock masses have hopefully been removed in time for the start of the next season. According to information from "Krone", blasting will begin in the autumn and there is also talk of a crane having to be hoisted into the center of the mudslide by helicopter.

The ferry service, which was started as a replacement, at least for cyclists, has been well received. However, due to low water levels, sports enthusiasts have recently had to switch to buses. Aggsbach is not the only bottleneck that threatens the region.

The Danube bridge near Mautern will apparently also be completely closed before the main road is opened to traffic. While planning for the removal of debris on the one hand and the renovation of the bridge on the other is still underway, those affected on site are already reporting the devastating effects.

The listed bridge in Mautern has to be renovated.

(Bild: Molnar Attila)

The next closure follows the mudslide
The summer season, which is drawing to a close, was modest for the Landgasthaus Essl in Rührsdorf, for example, according to the landlord and landlady couple. "We didn't get enough support from the state in terms of advertising after the rockslide," criticize the Essls, who are now also feeling the threat of the Mautern Danube bridge being closed.

Contrary to what we innkeepers were promised, there was too little support from the state in terms of advertising during the summer months.

Marie-Theres und Philipp Essl, Rührsdorf

Destination Danube counters the accusations that it provided too little support to businesses in the summer: By means of media cooperation, mailings and press conferences, but also via social media, the tourist offer on the south bank would have been advertised separately. The ferry service in particular has been well received with around 10,000 cyclists since its launch.

"Modest season": host couple Essl criticizes the state

(Bild: Attila Molnar)

The NEOS campaigned for the 2-bridge solution in Mautern on Thursday.

(Bild: NEOS)

But the Essls are not the only ones to find a fly in the ointment: At a round table, the World Heritage communities now called for an "acceptable solution" for the Mautern bridge. A ferry is certainly not enough for them as the only alternative to crossing the Danube locally. Especially not during the harvest season of the local wineries.

Transport Minister Udo Landbauer must not separate what connects Mautern and Krems either. We are in favor of two bridges!

Indra Collini, Neos-Landessprecherin

Bild: Barbara Elser

Neos protested in Krems
The Neos, who are vehemently in favor of a two-bridge solution, are tooting the same horn. On Thursday, they even used their own feet at a protest rally. Escorted by the police, the protest went over the - still open - Mautern bridge to the center of Krems, where signatures and new ideas were collected.