Fundamental
With over 9,600 hectares area, the Donau-Auen National Park protects the last remaining major wetland environment in Central Europe. For a distance of just over 36 km, the Danube flows freely and is the lifeline of the national park. The dynamic rise and fall of water levels - sometimes up to 7 meters - mean that the wetlands landscape is constantly recreated and reformed. In this way, the flow of the Danube creates habitats for a large number of plants and animals.
With the founding of the Donau-Auen National Park in 1996, this area was made an international refuge for posterity. Here, an ecosystem can blossom free of commercial constraints, thus guaranteeing that future generations may also experience first hand its power and beauty.
The Donau-Auen National Park extends from Vienna all the way to the mouth of the March River (also called Morava) on the border to Slovakia. Thirty-eight kilometres long, at its widest point the Danube measures only around 4 km; the wetlands are only found directly on the Danube. To the north of the national park are the broad plains of the Marchfeld. To the south, the boundary is formed by the breakline of the Vienna Basin. The Lobau area has always been a popular recreational area, especially for the Viennese.
Download the overview map of the National Park