Retz in the Weinviertel
At the beginning of January we were in Retz for a few days Weinviertel in Lower Austria. The Hotel Althof in Retz had invited us to explore its new winegrowing rooms. There, you can enjoy a winter vacation in Austria's wine-growing regions. The hotel alone would have been enough to make us feel at home in Retz in the Weinviertel. Almost everything revolves around wine: in the wine-tasting restaurant, where the perfect wine is served with each course; in the wine shop, where we were able to sample the region's wines; in the VinoSPA, where we were pampered with wine products; and last but not least, in our winegrower's room, where we even had our own vine in the room and a wine cabinet full of wines from the Heinzl winery. You can hardly experience the region better!
But Retz in the Weinviertel region has even more to offer, and we present some of it here. We put together our Winterstiefel, and let's go.
What does Retz in the Weinviertel offer its visitors in winter?
In winter, not all of Retz's sights are open, so we limit ourselves to a walk through the town center around the centrally located town hall. From its tower, you have a fantastic view of the town and the surrounding area with its vineyards. However, the climb, with 128 steps, is too strenuous for me, especially since we had already climbed about 300 steps up and down in the
Experience cellar in Retz in the Weinviertel
had laid back. It is a labyrinth of underground chambers and passageways that vintners have dug into the sandy soil beneath the city for centuries. The sand comes from a sea that was once in this region. We can even scrape the fine sand out of the walls on our tour through the cellar worlds of Retz.
Despite the crumbly construction material, the tunnels and chambers have existed for centuries, partly due to the high humidity that prevails in this underground tube system. Our guided tour through the city's underworld lasts about an hour and a half.
The entrance is very close to the city's parish church. We're glad we have a guide with us, otherwise we would quickly lose our bearings underground. Furthermore, the discovery cellar is inaccessible without a guide. In the past, winemakers stored their wines in these cellar rooms at a constant temperature of around 10 degrees Celsius. Mature wines are stored here. On our tour, however, all we see is a wine cellar with bottles thickly covered in dust, kept for special occasions.
Exploring Retz in the Weinviertel underground
The entire system of cellar tunnels is about 20 kilometers long, much longer than the streets in the city above. The cellars extend up to three stories deep, and we traverse them uphill and downhill. New chambers continually open up in the walls, explaining the history of Retz wine. This history stretches back to the Romans and also includes such dramatic chapters as the Hussite Wars.
Below the town hall, we can gaze up at the town hall square, several meters above us. We make a few more detours into other rooms before finally reaching the surface in the Hotel Althaus's wine shop after climbing the two longest staircases, 58 and 81 steps. We then conclude our tour of Retz's subterranean cellars in typical style with a wine tasting of regional Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Gris, or a Young Vegan.
During our tour under the earth, it has started to snow, and there are already a few inches of snow. So we get in the car for the short drive
Windmill in Retz in the Weinviertel
which lies just outside of town on a hill and also offers a beautiful view of the surrounding vineyards. Meanwhile, thick snowflakes are falling on the vines. The landscape is white and brown, and the windmill fits in perfectly. The miller opens the mill for us. In winter, it can be visited by appointment. It is open daily from May to October. It is certainly interesting, as it is the only fully functioning grain mill in Austria. And it is famous too! Numerous films have been shot here: the Empress's courier, Klaus Jürgen Wussow, struggled around the Retz windmill during his adventures. Donald Sutherland shot scenes for a film version of The Three Musketeers. And Trenck the Pandur, whose story was made into a film starring Hans Albers, also lived not far from here in Brno in Bohemia.
The mill looks back on an illustrious past. But the present is also impressive: in 2010 it was restored by Dutch mill farmers and grinds grain as ever. There is also a vinotheque with a wine tavern, where we get bread and wine. The miller's wife baked the bread herself. If you want, you can learn how to make your own delicious nut bread in the mill bakery in summer. A visit to the mill is worthwhile in every season.
On a walk through Retz we discover
Castle Gatterburg
Just steps from the town hall square. The bicycle museum in Retz in the Weinviertel region, which is located within the castle, is closed during the winter months. However, it is open daily from May to October. In winter, larger groups can visit by appointment. We are alone, however, and look at it from the outside. We then walk around the castle on freshly snow-covered paths under old deciduous trees and reach the castle park, where tree-lined avenues draw our gaze into the distance.
And who knows? Maybe we will visit Retz again in summer. Because there is more to discover here.
Travel Arrangements:
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
Hotel Althof Retz * (Advertisement)
Althofgasse 14
2070 Retz
Austria
Adventure Cellar Retz in the Weinviertel
The guide meets at the information office in the main square 30 in Retz. Opening hours and current admission fees are available to you here.
Windmill Retz
You can book the winter tour of the windmill in Retz in the Weinviertel by phone here: Tel. 02942 / 2700
The opening times in summer you will learn with this link.
Bicycle Museum Schloss Gatterburg
The museum in Retz in the Weinviertel region is open from May to October from 14.00:17.00 PM to XNUMX:XNUMX PM. In winter, advance reservations are required. Detailed information can be found here.
Parking at the airport
Here you can reserve your parking space at the airport.
You can find the travel reports of our travel blogger colleagues about our joint trip to Retz in the Weinviertel here:
Elena tells Creativelena about Bloggers Wellness.
At Gudrun on Reisebloggerin.at haunt the wine spirits in the hotel Althof.
Katja from the WellSpaPortal sees In Vino Wellness in the Weinviertel
Do you know this?
- Taste the World: Wine Regions to Discover
- Tasting Burgenland wine: Three different ways
- Attractions in Koblenz: Deutsches Eck and Ehrenbreitstein
- Aachen: A walk through the old town
Further Tips on wine tourism and wine regions can be found here. More Slow Travel Travel Tips There's this link. Discover others Wine regions in Austria.
Source: Retz im Weinviertel: own on-site research. We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Hotel Althof Retz for their friendly support in the Weinviertel. However, our opinions remain, as always, our own.
Text Retz im Weinviertel: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
Photos: © Copyright Monika Fuchs and TravelWorldOnline
