Grein

Grein sits at the head of the Strudengau, the stretch where the Danube forced its way through the granite of the Bohemian Massif and formed rapids and whirlpools around the island of Wörth that wrecked shipping for centuries - the Strudel and the Wirbel were the most feared water on the river until blasting and regulation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries removed them. The town lived on piloting boats through. In 1791 the citizens converted the granary floor of the town hall into a theatre, and the Greiner Stadttheater has been in continuous use since, making it the oldest surviving theatre in Austria - a small rococo auditorium with box seats, one of which was the town's lock-up so a prisoner could watch the play. Greinburg castle stands above.

What to look for

• Austria's oldest working theatre - the 1791 conversion of a granary floor.
• A cell with a view of the stage - the town lock-up built into the boxes.
• The old Strudengau - where the Danube's most dangerous rapids were.
• Greinburg castle - the fifteenth-century castle above the town.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Good to know

The theatre is small and shown by guided tour or seen at a performance - check times. The rapids are gone, removed by river works; there is nothing to see of them. Castle hours are seasonal.

Nearby

Clam castle is west; Melk and the Wachau are downstream.

Key facts