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Retz Main Square – Hardegg Castle loop from Retz

Retz Main Square – Hardegg Castle loop from Retz

Moderate

4.0

(1)

riders

Retz Main Square – Hardegg Castle loop from Retz

02:45

58.6km

730m

Road cycling

Moderate road ride. Good fitness required. Mostly well-paved surfaces and easy to ride. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: May 7, 2026

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After 3.78 km for 138 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

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781 m

Retz Main Square

Highlight • Historical Site

In the historic wine town of Retz, the underground labyrinth, which is the largest historic wine cellar in Austria, and the Retz windmill are waiting to be discovered by you.

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1.75 km

I was amazed at that. There is actually a windmill on the hills in front of Retz. The story behind it: The windmill was built in the 18th century and used to grind grain. It is fully functional again after an extensive restoration. In any case, a great place to take a break!

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7.53 km

Schloss Niederfladnitz

Highlight • Castle

Stands in the middle of the village on a busy intersection.

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7.97 km

Fiedlerteich

Lake

13.8 km

View of Hardegg Castle

Highlight (Segment) • Viewpoint

Hardegg is worth a trip - the smallest town in Austria is thanks to the idyllic location on the Thaya (and thus directly on the border with the Czech Republic), the picturesque castle (1145 oldest known documentary mention, the oldest parts come from the early 12th century). Century, developed and expanded until the 17th century, then destroyed and decayed, partially rebuilt around 1900) and the surrounding forest (including the national park) are well worth seeing and offer numerous hiking, MTB and e-bike opportunities also worth seeing sections for racing bike tours. All this can also be done very well across borders here.
The descent described here begins immediately after the National Park House Thayatal (there is also parking for activities and refreshments available) and leads through the forest down to the town. You should be careful with the two curves (the first comes soon after the NP house), especially with the second, as this leads to the right at a fairly acute angle after a gradient of approx. 8%. After this hairpin bend there is a wonderful view of Hardegg Castle (see photo taken from this location). If you continue in Hardegg in the direction of Felling, there is a third hairpin bend. Otherwise you can also cross the intersection and then turn left through the city (or right via the pedestrian and cycle path) to the Thaya and thus to the border crossing at the bridge. As a climb, this section is also very interesting and especially pleasant in summer because you drive through a largely shady section of forest.

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16.2 km

Hardegg Castle

Highlight • Castle

The town of Hardegg itself - without the incorporated towns - only had 87 inhabitants as of December 31, 2015, making it the smallest town in Austria.
Hardegg Castle first mentioned in a document in 1145, in the 18th century. dilapidated after fire, rebuilt in the 1870s, with museum for Emperor Maximilian of Mexico (brother of Emperor Franz Joseph I.)

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16.8 km

Hardegg border crossing

Highlight • Bridge

This border crossing is probably one of the best known, but also one of the most beautiful crossings between Austria and the Czech Republic. In the monarchy, the border between Moravia and Lower Austria (Austria below the Enns) was open and permeable over the iron bridge built in the 1870s, and even after the emergence of the first Czechoslovak and the first Austrian republics and the construction of the two customs houses, it still prevailed until 1945 brisk border traffic (after the annexation of the German-Moravian areas to the National Socialist (Greater) German Reich and what was then the Lower Danube in October 1938, the border had of course temporarily disappeared). In 1945 the border at the bridge was closed after the reestablishment of the Czechoslovak Republic (the German Moravian residents of Čížov/Zaisa were expelled across this border in May 1945). In the course of the emergence of the "Iron Curtain" during the Cold War after 1948, the border was hermetically sealed off by the CSSR. The area up to Čížov was a restricted area. One last remnant of barbed wire and watchtower can still be seen at Čížov today. The road surface of the bridge was removed, making it impassable. Incidentally, the bunkers partially visible on the Czech side do not date from this period, but are part of the "Czechoslovak border wall" from the 1930s, which was built in the face of the Nazi state's increasingly aggressive foreign policy (a legitimate concern given the events of October 1938 and March 1939 with the occupation of Czechoslovakia). For decades the bridge fell into disrepair. I still have the picture from the late 1980s in my head: the bridge on the Czech side was rusted right down to the middle - on the Austrian side, at least a makeshift effort should have been made to preserve it. After the turn of 1989/1990, the border was reopened and the bridge was repaired on both sides. Now the Czech side was freshly renovated and more beautiful than the Austrian side - today, about 30 years later, these differences are almost no longer recognizable, apart from the different shades of green. Since there is a lot of pedestrian and cyclist traffic at the border crossing and on the bridge, especially in the summer months, you should adjust your speed with the racing bike accordingly.

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38.1 km