If you drive upstream through the Wachau on the left side of the Danube, along the steep, terraced vineyards, after a few kilometers you arrive at one of the most spectacular towns in the region - Spitz. Monumentally, the vineyard "Tausendeimerberg" rises into the sky, against which the beautiful Renaissance and Baroque houses literally nestle. The vineyard got its peculiar name from a legend that in good years up to a thousand buckets of wine could be harvested here. Calculations have shown that this would correspond to a quantity of 56,000 litres.
Today, top winemakers like Franz Hirtzberger produce world-class white wines here on the unique terroir of the "Tausendeimerberg". Yet this picturesque village did not always belong to Lower Austria. From 812 to 1504 it was an enclave of the Niederaltaich monastery and was firmly in Bavarian hands. Parts of the village's coat of arms are still adorned with the typical Bavarian lozenges. Presently there are about 1,500 inhabitants, many of whom are closely connected to wine.
Those who would like to get an idea of this village will come across listed historical buildings, such as the late Gothic parish church or Niederhaus Castle. The navigation museum informs about the development of Danube navigation.
Wine lovers enjoy the great wines of the "Tausendeimerberge" or the equally famous Laage "Rotes Tor" in restaurants and Buschenschänken. In addition to the wines of Franz Hirtzberger, which already enjoy something like cult status among connoisseurs, those from the Donabaum or Gritsch wineries, for example, are also held in the highest esteem.
