An excursion into the Danube World of the Upper Danube Valley

A visit to the 1,041-strong Danube community can be combined into a day-long excursion that is all about Europe's second-largest river. Starting with the various Donausteig circular walks beginning in Engelhartszell, to the so-called Donaunixe-Isa hike, which also leads to the various sights.

The tour of the Engelhartstzell Danube World begins at Engelszell Abbey. The first stops are the "Engelszell Sensory Garden" and the "Mini-Danube Water Experience". Both open from May to September, daily from 1 to 5 pm.

The Engelszell Monastery was founded in 1293 and has had a very eventful history. The collegiate church is one of the stylistically purest rococo churches in Austria. It was built between 1754 and 1764 and is furnished with valuable works of art by Johann Georg Üblher, Joseph Deutschmann and Bartolomeo Altomonte. After damage, the nave ceiling was impressively redesigned in 1957 with a painting by Prof. Fritz Fröhlich. It is open daily for prayer and free viewing, guided tours can be booked by appointment.

Currently there are 7 brothers living in the convent. The Cistercians of the strict observance, colloquially called Trappists, are known for their seclusion, their monastic asceticism and their preference for physical labor. Their work results, among other things, in many tasty products, which can also be purchased on site in the monastery store: the monastery liqueurs made from various herbs grown in the monastery and different varieties of the well-known Trappist beer.

Right next to the monastery church the path leads to the sensory garden and the water experience Mini-Danube with the special exhibition about Danube fish "the aliens are coming" with a large aquarium.

For a small entrance fee, visitors can experience the course of the Danube in miniature at various stations, taste herbs in the sensory garden or simply play in and with the water. For children, sand toys are lent out at the entrance and various special features and interesting facts about the Danube are explained on display boards. Certainly a highlight here are the ways to cross the Danube: with a raft, over a barrage or over bridges, and then to play on the Danube beach. The large aquarium shows the impressive Danube fish that live in the Engelhartszell area in action and lets us discover how the habitat is populated today by species from all over the world.

The route continues along the path of the Danube mermaid to various "Danube studios" of local artists on the river and to the exhibition in the "Danube ship", to the adventure playground and to the exhibition Danube stories in the operations center at the market town office in Engelhartszell.
The path finally leads to the Danube power plant in Jochenstein. The Jochenstein power station connects Austria with Bavaria and is a border crossing for pedestrians and cyclists. It owes its name to the legendary Jochenstein rock, which is the seat of the Donaunixe ISA, the sister of the Loreley. In the information center about power industry on the Austrian bank you can learn interesting facts about the power plant and about hydropower.

If you want, you can make a detour to the German side to the "Haus am Strom" (House on the River): it is the environmental station of the Passau district. An exhibition awaits visitors, and numerous events start here, including nature tours of the Donauleiten nature reserve.