The Donau-Auen National Park, Austria

East of Vienna, the Danube River flows picturesquely through the fertile plain, inhabited since Roman times and repeatedly conquered and devastated in the past. Today, most of this land is occupied by the Donau-Auen National Park, which is the largest such park in Central Europe. This green paradise stretches from Vienna, through Lower Austria, all the way to the country's border with Slovakia.

The Donau-Auen National Park, prior to its official designation, was 38 square kilometres of picturesque countryside which was declared a protected area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources in 1996. On 27 October 1996, the Republic of Austria and the Federal State of Lower Austria signed a treaty officially declaring the existence of the Donau-Auen Park.

The Donau-Auen National Park, also known as "Lobau" (translated as "the water forest"), is a great offer for a walk outside the city. This place with 9300 hectares of wild forests with characteristic marsh vegetation along the Danube is a unique place where the mind relaxes, time stops and one manages to escape from his hectic everyday life. The Donau-Auen National Park is home to more than 5,000 different species of animals and birds, and its natural environment is highly humid due to the presence of numerous rivers, lakes and marshes. Among other things, the Donau-Auen Park is also known for its variety of rare nesting birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and over 800 species of plants.

Since 2005, the tourist center of the Donau-Auen National Park has been housed in Schloss Orth, which is a magnificent Renaissance castle. In this centre, visitors have the opportunity to get a detailed overview of the flora and fauna of the Danube Valley.