Mautern

Mautern is a town on the south bank of the river Danube at the end of the Wachau valley, a World Heritage Site, in Lower Austria.

In Roman times Mautern was an important fort (Favianis). The river Danube formed the northern border of the Roman empire. The town's position defended the important river-crossing in the province of Noricum. There may already have been a simple wooden bridge over the Danube. Mautern was first named CIVITAS MUTARENSIS in 899 and was the last toll station in the east of the empire. Göttweig Abbey was founded in 1083 by Bishop Altmann of Passau. In 1276/79 the town obtained civil rights and jurisdiction. In 1463 Austria's second bridge across the Danube was built here. In 1467 Mautern was awarded its coat of arms.

The town has over three and a half thousand inhabitants. Mautern belonged to Passau Abbey for a long time, and this is proabably why in the Nibelungenlied, Kriemhild takes leave of her uncle Pilgrim, the Bishop of Passau, in Mautern.

Mautern is not only a town with a historical past: it also appears in German heroic legends. It is mentioned in five heroic legends: The Nibelungenlied, Alphart's Death, The Battle of Ravenna, Biterolf and Dietlieb as well as Dietrich and his Companions.

Tourists, drawn to the attractive wine growing region of the Wachau which surrounds Mautern, come to see not only the old town and the ruins of the fort, but also to visit the Roman Museum and take a walk around the cultural sites of the town.