This walk starts at the Main Square (Hauptplatz) of Retz, a small city with approximately 4,200 inhabitants in the North of Lower Austria's Weinviertel ("Wine Quarter"), just some kilometers from the border to Czech Republic.
The big tower belongs to the town hall that has been built in the 16th century by transforming and extending an unfinished gothic church into a profane building.
From there you walk through the so called "Verderberhaus". This renaissance building was built for a family called "Verderber" who was a very wealthy family at that time.
Then you walk through the "Znaimer Tor", the city gate that points to the direction of Znaim (Znojmo) the neighboring city that already belongs to Southern Moravia (Czech Republic).
Right before the city gate you see the former Citizens' Hospital Chapel (Bürgerspitalkapelle) on the left side.
At the crossing behind the Znaimer Tor you turn left into the Windmühlgasse.
At the Windmühlgasse you will find a lot of wine cellars.
Just before the last building you have to turn right.
After 50 meters you have to turn left.
Soon you will see the windmill. It was built in 1722 and converted in 1850. It is one of only two windmills in Austria that still work.
I recommend walking to the so called Urlaubermarterl which is located some meters right of the street. These statues erected in 1726 are a depiction of Jesus' farewell to his mother Mary.
From the Urlaubermarterl you will have a wonderful view on the old town.
Right next to the windmill built in you will find the remains of another windmill. This one was built in 1775. After a fire in 1893 it was converted into a residential building.
The mountain on that the windmills were built is also a calvary mountain. If you have enough time you should also visit the three crosses depicting Jesus Christ and the two thieves that have been crucified next to him.
When you have already visited in Weinviertel you will probably know this kind of giant key hole. With those giant key holes the tourist board of Weinviertel marked 25 "Schlüsselerlebnisse" (key experiences), usually wonderful lookout points.
When walking back you can make a short detour to the "Kümmerlkapelle".
"Kümmerl" is a diminuitive form of "Kumer", an old word for prison that is not used in the German language anymore. In this area there once was Meierhof that also included a prison.
The Kümmerlkapelle was built next to the Kümmerlsäule, a column erected in 1630. The Kümmerlsäule is also called Eisheiligensäule. It depicts the Ice Saints. The Ice Saints are St. Boniface, St. Pancras and St. Servatius. Their fest days are on the days of May 11, 12 and 13. During the Little Ice Age between 1300 and about 1850, the nights between these days were often the last nights of the years in that the temperatures in Austria fall below 0° C. As many trees are already in bloom at that time, the farmers lighted fires to keep to prevent the sensitive blossoms from dying.
From the chapel you walk to the Windmühlgasse. Then you walk back down to the Znaimer Tor and through the Verderberhaus to the main square.
GPS data can be downloaded here.
