Waidhofen an der Ybbs

Waidhofen grew on iron: ore came down from the Erzberg in Styria along the Eisenstrasse and was worked here into knives, scythes and tools, and the wealth built the town. The Stadtturm, raised to fifty metres in 1535-1542, has four clock faces, and one of them always shows a quarter to twelve - the hour, by town tradition, of the victory over the Ottoman raiders in 1532, which is what everyone in Waidhofen will tell you. Rothschild bought the castle in the nineteenth century and had Friedrich von Schmidt, architect of the Vienna Rathaus, rebuild it; it now holds the town museum, with a glazed courtyard roof added by Hans Hollein in 2007. The Ybbstalbahn narrow-gauge railway ran from here, and part of the trackbed is now a cycle route.

What to look for

• A clock at a quarter to twelve - one tower face fixed to mark the 1532 victory.
• An iron-working town - built on the Styrian ore road and its smiths.
• A Rothschild castle - rebuilt by Schmidt, roofed over by Hollein in 2007.
• The Ybbstalbahn trackbed - the narrow-gauge line now a cycle route.

When to go

April to October. Half a day.

Good to know

Small - half a day covers it. The museum closes Mondays and reduces hours in winter. The town is hilly with steps. Rail access needs a change at Amstetten.

Nearby

The Ybbstal cycle route runs south; Seitenstetten Abbey is north.

Key facts