The best walks and hikes around Zwettl-Niederösterreich

At low water level, a rocky bay is formed. At high water level, a rocky island emerges from the water.

No Merlot here — the shelf stands empty, quiet, waiting for a bottle that never comes. Kein Merlot hier — das Regal bleibt leer, still, wartend auf eine Flasche, die nie kommt. Pas de Merlot ici — l'étagère reste vide, silencieuse, attendant une bouteille qui n'arrive jamais. No hay Merlot aquí — el estante queda vacío, silencioso, esperando una botella que nunca llega.

The Ottenstein reservoir, is the largest of the Kamp lakes and is among the richest waters in fish in Austria and at the same time among the best predatory fish waters in Europe. Its water surface is 4.3 km² and extends with its fjord-like, branched side arms, with a length of more than 14 km, up to Zwettl. The deepest point is 69 m.

The Zwettl City Museum is a modern museum designed to appeal to both children and adults! We don't just want to preserve history, but to present it in an engaging, memorable, informative, and interesting way. Therefore, this museum is designed according to the latest museum education principles. All activities are geared towards achieving this goal. The museum features a model of the city where visitors can modify all the elements—houses, city walls, and bridges. With the help of instructions, the city's development from its founding in the 12th century to the 20th century can be traced. In addition to the most important documents of the city of Zwettl, the collection includes numerous weapons, among them original "Kuenringer weapons" from the 13th century, which were discovered during excavations in Zwettl.

The City Museum – Enriched with Many Attractions On Saturday, June 21, 2003, the Zwettl City Museum, redesigned as part of the "Urban Renewal in Lower Austria" initiative, celebrated its reopening. During the interior renovation, new spaces for the City Museum were created in the attic. Part of these rooms is dedicated to the theme of "Collecting" and houses the exhibits of the "Anton Collection" in a permanent display. Among the exhibited objects are numerous unique pieces and outstanding works of art, such as a Romanesque Madonna and precious glass rarities from the Baroque period. In addition to the exhibition spaces for the "Anton Collection," a generously sized room was also created for special exhibitions. The old wooden framework of the roof truss remains almost entirely visible and contributes significantly to the ambiance of the newly created exhibition spaces.

The local authorities succeeded in persuading the master artist Hundertwasser to design and construct a fountain in the main square. The presentation of the fountain model met with both widespread approval and vehement opposition from the residents of Zwettl. In 1994, the fountain, consisting of three main elements—the two fountain columns with basins and the pavilion—was unveiled to the public. Since then, it has been a popular meeting place in the heart of the town. Friedensreich Hundertwasser died in February 2000 at the age of 71.

Until the end of the 19th century, a monumental fountain stood in the middle of the main square, the terminus of Zwettl's oldest water supply system, dating back to the early 17th century; a place where the population gathered, not just to fetch water. A war memorial was erected here in 1925, and from the mid-20th century onward, the square in the heart of the town was primarily used as a park. In the early 1990s, the municipality of Zwettl decided to redesign the main square. The aim was to give the town an attractive central point once again and thus preserve the tradition of the old Zwettl main square for the present and future. Friedensreich Hundertwasser, born Friedrich Stowasser in 1928, had owned an old mill on the banks of the Kamp River above Zwettl since the 1970s.

The Renaissance graffiti were only rediscovered in 1976. During the restoration of the paintings, which took place in 2002, the Zwettl-based academic conservator Ralf Wittig strove for the greatest possible fidelity to the original. From 1850 to 1975, the Old Town Hall housed the district court and the land registry office. Today, the Old Town Hall houses the Zwettl Tourist Information Center as well as the noteworthy City Museum with its permanent exhibition, the "Anton Collection." Museum education programs for children and adults are also offered.