Wachau is one of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria , located precisely between the towns of Melk and Krems. It is 30 km in length and was already settled in prehistoric times. It preserves in an intact and visible form many traces – in terms of architecture, urban design, and agricultural use, principally for the cultivation of vines. The Wachau was added to the UNESCO list of world heritage sites in recognition of its architectural and agricultural history.

The Wachau with its mighty Baroque Abbey Melk and the collegiate church of Dürnstein with its famous blue tower.

The Wachau is an excellent example of a river landscape surrounded by hills, where the material evidence of the long history of development is still preserved to an astonishing degree.

Human settlement in the Wachau started already during Palaeolithic times, which is documented by a number of cultural founds. From the 1st to the 5th century the Danube formed the northern border of the Roman Empire.