The best traffic-free bike rides around Rappottenstein

At the Kamp, above Zwettl, a weir with a mill race and a power station were to be built, in which two turbines with a total of 100 HP would generate enough electricity to operate at least 950 light bulbs in Zwettl, each with a luminous intensity of 16 standard candles. [The "standard candle" was an old unit of measurement for luminous intensity = the light of a paraffin candle with a diameter of 20 mm, whose wick was trimmed so that the flame burned 50 mm high.] Initially, it was planned to generate high-voltage direct current, which was to be transported to Zwettl via an approximately 2.8 km long overhead line to a transformer. The costs for all preparatory work (including land and usage rights acquired as early as April 1892) were borne in equal parts by Wichtl, Göschl, and Löscher out of their own pockets.

In 1892, when the use of electrical energy was still in its infancy worldwide, three Zwettl businessmen made the bold decision to build an "electrical power and light central" (= a power plant) in this city. They were the 40-year-old master miller Alois Wichtl (Kuenringerstraße 3), the innkeeper Karl Löscher (Ottenschlager Straße 2), then just 38 years old, and the 43-year-old master cabinetmaker Friedrich Göschl (Kamptalstraße 22). They consulted the Viennese electrical engineer Franz Kröttlinger and became convinced that they had found the ideal location for their power plant in the Kamptal, near the Gschwendtmühle. Here, both the drop, water level, and water volume seemed suitable for the project to the technician.

In 1984, the municipality, in cooperation with the Nature Friends and the local savings bank, created a memorial plaque with a relief image of Emperor Franz Joseph. The monument is still popularly called Kaiserbüste (Emperor's Bust), even though there is no longer a bust of an emperor here.

The old cult object, a statue of the Virgin with Child, has now been displaced by the construction of a Lourdes grotto and a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. To the left of the grotto stands Saint Francis of Assisi in a semicircular niche. The statue depicts the saint in his characteristic brown habit, accompanied by an ox. He carries a crozier and holds a book, referring to his role as a religious role model and founder of an order. In the ivy-covered Lourdes grotto stands a statue of the Virgin of Lourdes. She wears a white dress with a blue sash. To the right of the grotto stands Saint Florian in a semicircular niche. He is depicted as a Roman soldier with armor, a cloak, and a spear.

The Kamp winds its way here between the granite rocks, with small waterfalls appearing again and again. A truly picturesque sight that you should briefly enjoy and let the rushing water have an effect on you.

Arbesbach Castle is a top highlight that you should definitely plan a visit to. Even from a distance, you can recognize the so-called "Waldviertel's fang" (Stockzahn des Waldviertels). Once you arrive at the site, 126 steps lead up to the entrance where admission (currently €2.50) is payable in coins or by card. Then it continues inside upwards to the platform, which offers a fantastic view. There is also a circular path around the tower, which however requires some surefootedness and suitable shoes.

Originally, after the town's founding, Trinity Square was part of Zwettl's main square, which at that time stretched as an extensive triangular plaza from the townhouses behind the Hundertwasser Fountain to the level of the Hausleitner house above the "Zur Goldenen Rose" inn. The construction of houses along the lower Landstraße, the so-called "Grätzl," significantly narrowed the main square, and the addition of the cross street eventually divided it into two squares.

During the Baroque period, people everywhere were eager to express their gratitude for overcoming the plague years and the Turkish Wars by erecting plague or Trinity columns. In 1727, the pillory in the upper square was replaced by the richly sculpted sandstone column created by Kaspar Högl of Eggenburg. During the last renovation in 1998, extensive environmental damage to the figures was repaired, and the entire column was painted a light yellow. The four life-size statues are, in the center at the front, the Immaculate Conception; to her left, St. Sebastian (pierced by five arrows); to her right, St. Roch (pointing to the plague boil on his thigh); and St. Florian (holding a flag in one hand and a bucket of water in the other). The iron fountain in the immediate vicinity of the Trinity Column is a gift from the then-mayor, Eugen Beck, of the twin town of Plochingen near Stuttgart.