Weitra - a Walled City

The construction of the city wall dates back to the year 1292, but most parts of the wall were built in the 14th and 15th century. It follows the contour of a slope in the west, and in the east there was a pond the water of which was used to fill a moat. One of the original towers has remained near the "bell foundry"; the tower is crowned by a small "vantage point". Moat and kennel in the east were abandoned about 1790. The inner city wall still bears a part of its old battlements, and the location of the battlements is still clearly visible. In front of the inner wall there is the outer kennel wall. It has always been lower than the innner walls. Five rondels enlarge the wall-space there.

Weitra has teamed up with ten other towns in Lower Austria, which also have a city wall and are worth seeing. Here are the other "walled towns": Drosendorf, Eggenburg, Grossenzersdorf, Horn, Hainburg an der Donau, Laa an der Thaya, Marchegg, Retz, Waidhofen an der Thaya and Zwettl.

More information can be found at www.stadtmauerstaedte.at