The Europawarte St. Benedikt gives Waitzendorf a distinctive viewpoint: it stands on the Schafberg near Waitzendorf at an elevation of 471 metres and offers views of the surrounding landscape. The village also has a distinctive church history, two trails with different destinations and a leisure facility with specific amenities. When deciding where to visit, you can therefore weigh up different focuses: views and architecture, church architecture, trails to historic memorial sites, or the amenities at the leisure facility.

Europawarte and Trails

The Europawarte is 26 metres high. More than 112 steps lead to the viewing platform, which has a six-metre-high cross. From the tower, visitors can enjoy views of the surrounding landscape. It was built in 1980 to commemorate the 1,500th anniversary of Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe, and was completely renovated in 2019. The viewpoint thus combines views of the surrounding landscape with a history of construction that recalls Europe's patron saint.

The family-friendly Urbanusweg circular trail passes through Waitzendorf; a detour to the Europawarte is possible. This means you can plan the tower as a possible addition to the loop. The Marterlweg Waitzendorf has a different focus: it follows paved roads and forest paths to historic wayside shrines and memorial sites. The distinction for choosing a trail is therefore clear: one is a loop with a possible viewpoint as a destination, while the other focuses on path types and historic memorial sites.

Church: Leaning Tower and Early Construction Phase

The Catholic parish church of the Holy Trinity is listed in the monument protection regulation for the district of Hollabrunn; the regulation came into force on 15 May 2004. A distinctive feature is its leaning tower: in 1930, it separated from the church building, sank to one side and has stood at an angle ever since. It leans by 1.1 degrees, or around 50 centimetres, and is described as Austria's most crooked church tower. The presbytery, with its low entrance and Gothic vault, was the first section of the church to be built. Thus, the same building brings together the presbytery's early construction phase and the tower's alteration in 1930.

Leisure Facility and Wine Village

The Waitzendorf leisure facility has a playground with a climbing frame, swings, slide, horizontal bars and a zip line, as well as a Kneipp facility. When choosing local destinations, it offers a different focus from the Europawarte and the two trails: here, the facilities themselves are the destination, rather than a viewpoint or historic memorial sites.

The Redl winery is located at the foot of the Manhartsberg in the wine village of Waitzendorf and is surrounded by vineyards. The vineyards are mostly on clay and loess soils. The winery's residence was built as early as the late 18th century. The construction date of the house adds another point of reference to the village's history and can be considered alongside the different construction phases of the parish church.

For the broader travel overview: Schrattenthal.