The best traffic-free bike rides around Zwettl-Niederösterreich

The Ottenstein reservoir, is the largest of the Kamp lakes and is among the richest waters in fish in Austria and at the same time among the best predatory fish waters in Europe. Its water surface is 4.3 km² and extends with its fjord-like, branched side arms, with a length of more than 14 km, up to Zwettl. The deepest point is 69 m.

At the Kamp, above Zwettl, a weir with a mill race and a power station were to be built, in which two turbines with a total of 100 HP would generate enough electricity to operate at least 950 light bulbs in Zwettl, each with a luminous intensity of 16 standard candles. [The "standard candle" was an old unit of measurement for luminous intensity = the light of a paraffin candle with a diameter of 20 mm, whose wick was trimmed so that the flame burned 50 mm high.] Initially, it was planned to generate high-voltage direct current, which was to be transported to Zwettl via an approximately 2.8 km long overhead line to a transformer. The costs for all preparatory work (including land and usage rights acquired as early as April 1892) were borne in equal parts by Wichtl, Göschl, and Löscher out of their own pockets.

In 1892, when the use of electrical energy was still in its infancy worldwide, three Zwettl businessmen made the bold decision to build an "electrical power and light central" (= a power plant) in this city. They were the 40-year-old master miller Alois Wichtl (Kuenringerstraße 3), the innkeeper Karl Löscher (Ottenschlager Straße 2), then just 38 years old, and the 43-year-old master cabinetmaker Friedrich Göschl (Kamptalstraße 22). They consulted the Viennese electrical engineer Franz Kröttlinger and became convinced that they had found the ideal location for their power plant in the Kamptal, near the Gschwendtmühle. Here, both the drop, water level, and water volume seemed suitable for the project to the technician.

In 1984, the municipality, in cooperation with the Nature Friends and the local savings bank, created a memorial plaque with a relief image of Emperor Franz Joseph. The monument is still popularly called Kaiserbüste (Emperor's Bust), even though there is no longer a bust of an emperor here.

The old cult object, a statue of the Virgin with Child, has now been displaced by the construction of a Lourdes grotto and a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes. To the left of the grotto stands Saint Francis of Assisi in a semicircular niche. The statue depicts the saint in his characteristic brown habit, accompanied by an ox. He carries a crozier and holds a book, referring to his role as a religious role model and founder of an order. In the ivy-covered Lourdes grotto stands a statue of the Virgin of Lourdes. She wears a white dress with a blue sash. To the right of the grotto stands Saint Florian in a semicircular niche. He is depicted as a Roman soldier with armor, a cloak, and a spear.

A nice little place located right next to the B38.

A trip to Jaidhof Castle is particularly worthwhile due to the combination of historical architecture, spiritual tranquility, and nature experience.

Really lovingly arranged, and always worth a photo.