Volunteers pflegen die Felsenböschung im Meditationsgarten der Kartause Aggsbach © Welterbegemeinden Wachau/Elisa Besenbäck

World Heritage Volunteers Wachau-Middle Rhine

Since 2004, an intensive exchange has been taking place between the two World Heritage cultural landscapes of the Wachau in Austria and the Upper Middle Rhine Valley in Germany. The cooperation should now be further intensified by a joint volunteer camp with a focus on caring for the cultural landscape.
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© pixabay, Naturpark Jauerling-Wachau, Weinfranz

Juni war Klima-Monat: Webinare zum Nachschauen

Immer montags zur Primetime organisierte die KLAR!-Region Wachau-Dunkelsteinerwald-Jauerling vier Webinare zu den Themen Acker und Humusaufbau, ökologische Waldbewirtschaftung, klimafitte Gärten und Klimawandelanpassung im Tourismus. Die Video-Aufzeichnungen und Zusatzinformationen sind nun online abrufbar.
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The Fourth Wall – Seekopf Lookout Tower

The Seekopf and the Hirschwand belong to the World Heritage Trail and together form a popular excursion destination that is highly rated by hikers. A lookout tower affords a phenomenal 360-degree view. The prior existing tower was already over 25 years old and was showing signs of rotting, so it had to be demolished for safety reasons. The association "Jankerlklub Rossatz" and the market municipality of Rossatz-Arnsdorf worked on the construction of a new tower in order to continue being able to offer the rewarding view of the Wachau.
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Schafbeweidung auf der Perchtoldsdorfer Heide als mögliches Vorbild für die Wachau? @ Welterbegemeinden Wachau

Wachauschaf - Grazing in conformity with nature conservation in the Wachau Valley and the Jauerling Nature Park

The association for the World Heritage Municipalities Wachau, province of Lower Austria/Nature Conservation department and Blühendes Österreich (Blooming Austria) have made it their goal to support an agricultural business in establishing an extensive sheep grazing regime in the Wachau Valley and in the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park.
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Das zentrale Thema Musik verbindet die Gemeinden © Daniela Matejschek

Musikimpuls Dunkelsteinerwald - Kick-off and setup

Preparations for the joint advertising of several municipalities together with Göttweig Abbey for the Provincial Exhibition in 2023 were already on the way when the one-year delay to the event was announced. The opportunity should now be taken to restructure this initiative. The central topic – “Music” – is intended to connect the participating municipalities and reinforce the sense of regional identity. The large collection of musical publications in Göttweig Abbey offers the possibility to do some academical research on the region’s music and allow it to flow into the initiative.
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Einzigartige Kulturlandschaft des Welterbes Wachau © Franz Hauleitner

Start: Raising awareness of the Wachau Cultural Landscape

The Wachau region was inscribed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites as a continuing cultural landscape in 2000. Little is known about the value of World Heritage, in particular the “OUV - outstanding universal value”. A major awareness-raising campaign is intended to change this and specifically address the population. The knowledge and importance of the Wachau Cultural Landscape should be imbued in the population as a way of getting everyone to handle this World Heritage site with greater sensitivity.
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Die Vielfalt an Pflanzen und Tieren soll erhalten werden © Dieter Manhart

Our meadows, our asset: Protecting meadows through regional development in the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park

The Nature Park owes its great diversity of plants and animals to its mosaic-like cultural landscape and the extensively used meadows. Global changes are forcing many agricultural businesses to specialise or shut up shop. A consequence of this are meadows that are no longer managed and increasingly turning into woodland. To counteract this trend and preserve diversity in the Jauerling-Wachau Nature Park, a nature park brand is under development. This label stands for management compatible with nature and gives the businesses’ products added ecological value.
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Hochaltarbild von Kremser Schmidt in der Pfarrkirche Wösendorf © Katharina Mahel

Illumination of the "Kremser Schmidt" paintings in Wösendorf parish church

In a time when churches are being used less and less as places of worship, adapting them into places of culture and retreat is becoming increasingly important. To mark the 300th anniversary of the painter "Kremser Schmidt", his paintings in Wösendorf parish church were lavishly restored. In order to be able to protect the paintings better for future generations and to make their contents easier to see, a new LED lighting system should be installed.
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Flusslandschaften bieten zahlreiche Lebensräume © Franz Weinhofer

Pielach-Mühlau: Consciously experiencing natural treasures

The Pielach-Mühlau conservation area in the municipal district of Hafnerbach is one of nature’s true jewels. The wild river landscape is an area of retreat for many species of animal and vital to their survival. Excursions, campaigns involving schoolchildren and targeted public relations work are intended to create the necessary sensitisation and put the protection of these habitats on a secure and lasting footing.
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Advent in der Wachau © Stadt Melk/Franz Gleiß

Detail and implementation planning for the Wachau Advent

In recent years, a number of initiatives have established themselves in the region in late autumn and winter which have had a very positive impact on the development of tourism and thus on extending the season. Apart from the long-distance hiking trail “World Heritage Trail Wachau”, which can be easily hiked even in the colder months thanks to the mild climate, numerous cultural initiatives, such as “ELIT” (European literature days), “Wachau in Echtzeit” (Wachau in Real Time - curated by Ursula Strauss) as well as many Advent markets and culinary events have become established. The implementation of the mobility concept (bus connections) means that all municipalities in the region can now also be easily reached without a car.
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