Austria
Weissenkirchen
Weißenkirchen: Wine Village Beneath a Fortified Church
Weißenkirchen takes its name, white church, from the fortified parish church that rises above the village. With Spitz and Dürnstein it is one of the main places in the Wachau, the stretch of the Danube valley between Melk and Krems that UNESCO listed as a cultural landscape in 2000.
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Arriving in Weißenkirchen
River ships call at Weißenkirchen on the north bank of the Danube, and your cruise line will tell you where yours ties up. The village center is compact, and the church, the Teisenhoferhof courtyard and the old salt barns by the river are all within it.
- The B3 road follows the north bank of the Danube, and Weißenkirchen lies about midway between Spitz and Dürnstein.
- Weißenkirchen has a station on the Wachau railway, which runs in the summer months.
- A cable ferry crosses the Danube to St. Lorenz on the south bank in the summer season. There are no bridges between Melk and Mautern, so in between the river is crossed only by ferry.
- Scheduled river boats on the Melk–Krems run stop at Weißenkirchen. Check timetables before you go.
Weißenkirchen on Your Own
A walk around Weißenkirchen covers the fortified church on the rise above the village, the Renaissance Teisenhoferhof and the three salt barns on the riverbank. For a longer outing, the fortified church of St. Michael is about 2 km upstream.
- The parish church: The church of the Assumption was built in stages from the 13th to the 18th century, and it is still surrounded by a defensive wall with three corner towers.
- The salt barns: The three salt barns by the Danube date from the 17th century, when salt was stored here for the Waldviertel to the north.
- St. Michael: The fortified church at St. Michael dates from around 1500, and its parish, about 500 years older, is the oldest in the Wachau.
- The school: The village school, in the northwest corner of the church's defenses, was founded in 1385 and still holds classes.
- Getting back on time: All-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own.
- Have your passport handy: Austrian law says you must always have easy access to your passport, and a copy of the photo page can help.
Wine and Food
Weißenkirchen's growers work mainly with Grüner Veltliner and Riesling, and Achleiten, Klaus and Steinriegl are among the best-known Riesling sites. Wine is poured at Heurigen, taverns where a grower serves the house wine with simple food for a few weeks of the year.
- Wachau wines are labeled by alcohol level: Steinfeder up to 11.5 percent, Federspiel from 11.5 to 12.5 percent, and Smaragd from 12.5 percent.
- Smaragd, first used for the 1986 vintage, is named after the emerald lizards that live in the terraced vineyards.
- The oldest vineyard on record in Weißenkirchen, mentioned in the 13th century, is called Ritzling.
- The Wachauer Marille, the Wachau apricot, has a protected designation of origin in the EU.
- In spring the apricot trees blossom across the valley.
Tipping in Austria
Tipping is common in Austria, and although it is not required by law it is often treated as expected. The currency is the euro.
- In restaurants, 5 to 10 percent of the bill is the usual amount.
- Rounding a bill up to the next euro is common.
- Never offer a tip to a government employee, because it may be taken as a bribe.
Church and Stage
Inside the parish church, late Gothic and Baroque work sit side by side. The Teisenhoferhof courtyard doubles as a stage for the Wachaufestspiele, a theater festival held in Weißenkirchen.
- From the church's Gothic furnishings, only a font of red marble and a statue of the Virgin from 1520 survive.
- The black-and-gold high altar dates from around 1700, and the pulpit from 1742.
- The green-and-gold Rococo organ was made around 1770 by the Gatto family of organ builders and restored to its original state in 2002.
A Brief History
Weißenkirchen's written history begins in the Carolingian era: a charter of 830 lists vineyards here belonging to Niederaltaich Abbey, and around the same time the name Wachau was first used for this bank of the Danube.
- In 1070 the village appears in a deed of gift to the Benedictine abbey of Weihenstephan.
- Through the Middle Ages, abbeys including Tegernsee, Zwettl and Kremsmünster owned vineyards here.
- In 1258 a charter of Albero von Kuenring calls the village Liechtenchyrchen.
- In the early 16th century the church was ringed with defenses, completed in the 1530s.
- The Renaissance Teisenhoferhof was completed in 1542.
- On November 11, 1805, the Battle of Dürnstein was fought nearby between French and Russian-Austrian forces.
- After the 2002 Danube flood, the village built a mobile flood barrier more than 3 km long, finished in February 2010, that can be put up within hours.
- To learn more ashore: the Wachaumuseum in the Teisenhoferhof, Weißenkirchen 117, a branch of the Lower Austria state museum with a wine museum alongside.
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