Weissenkirchen in der Wachau

Weissenkirchen in der Wachau is a wine village of about 1,000 people in the middle of the Wachau, less visited than Dürnstein but arguably more atmospheric. The Wehrkirche — the fortified church — stands on a rise above the village, its walls and towers giving it a fortress-like silhouette. Below it, the village has a good collection of 16th- and 17th-century wine-growers' houses along the main square, several Heurigen open in season, and the Wachau Museum occupying the Teisenhoferhof, a Renaissance courtyard.

The terraced vineyards immediately above the village are among the steepest and most dramatic in the valley; from the church wall walk, the views up the slope to the vineyard-covered bluffs and down to the river are outstanding. The Wachau cycling path runs directly through the village, making it an easy stop between Melk and Krems.

things to do sight
A story
The fortified church at Weissenkirchen — the Wehrkirche Maria Himmelfahrt — was built in the 15th century with a surrounding wall and towers specifically as a refuge for villagers against Turkish raids. The Turks reached the Wachau in 1529 and again in 1683, though they did not cross the river here. The church's defensive features — the wall walk, the storage cellars, the narrow window slits — are still intact.