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What do the Pryramids of Gizeh, the Chinese Wall, the castle Schönbrunn in Vienna, the "Ghega - Railway" across the Semmering and the Wachau cultural landscape have in common? They all belong to an exclusive "community" whose youngest member is the Wachau: The landscape at the world-famous Danube river has been declared World Heritage.

"Cultural Heritage" are by definition of the "World Heritage Convention" declared by UNESCO in 1972 works of architecture, large plastics, monumental painting, archaeological objects, groups of single or connected monuments as well as human creations and combinations of nature and man-made attractions, given they are of "universal value to humankind" from a historical, aesthetical, ethnic or anthropological point of view.

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Like this, Lower Austria can call a second "World Heritage Site" its own, apart from the famous "Ghega - Railway" across the Semmering mountain, declared World Heritage in 1998 (named after the constructor Sir Karl Ritter von Ghega).

The Wachau, also declared an extraordinary landscape by the European Council, is a central settlement in Europe based on its thousands of years of historic settlement along the Danube. This river has not only been a major route for conquerors and pilgrimage groups, but also an important trade route between East and West for many centuries in history.

Today, the Wachau valley is a special highlight of a holiday trip along the Danube, be it by bike along the famous Danube cycling path, by boat or by car. The scenery with its cultural and culinary highlights is a holiday destination worth seeing at any time of the year!