Successful season in the national park: over 100,000 visitors enthusiastic

Successful season in the national park: over 100,000 visitors enthusiastic

The National Park Administration is drawing an extremely positive balance this year and is happy about an impressive number of visitors. Around 100,000 people took the opportunity to find out about the valuable protected area in the visitor centers and during the environmental education opportunities in Vienna and Lower Austria. A particularly large part, namely 38,900 visitors, took part in paid programs in the Lower Austrian National Park Part. This shows a significant increase compared to the previous year. In addition, the 23,700 guests in the Schlossorth National Park Center were one of the most popular excursion destinations in the region in 2024.

Edith Klauser, the national park director, was pleased with the loyalty of the visitors: "We are particularly pleased that numerous guests come to the Schlossorth National Park Center several times a year. The AUerwlebnis area Schlossinsel offers different impressions and families here in every season." A highlights was the new exhibition "Lowing nature", which deals with bioakoustics and has been very well received since its opening in spring.

Special events and challenges

The top events included the family festival in spring, the 'Danube Day' for school classes, the new family day in September and a newly interpreted Halloween event as the end of the season. These events not only experienced great influx, but also the group programs met with great interest in 2024. So 26% of the groups came from neighboring Slovakia. Guided boat tours and themed hikes enabled guests to experience the versatile flora and fauna of the Danube meadows up close.

But the weather presented the operators with some challenges. Numerous flood and storm events ensured that some programs had to be adjusted. The team informed the guests comprehensively about possible changes. The satisfaction of the visitors remains at a high level: over 90% rate their experience as "very good" or "good", and almost all visitors would use or recommend such an excursion.

renovation work in the National Park Camp

Another important event in the national park was the comprehensive renovation of the Eckartsau camp, which took place in 2024 without project days. These popular programs for school classes will be offered again next year at the renovated location. Nevertheless, the interest in excursions for school classes and groups of children was unbroken, whereby numerous events were looked after by the National Park rang team.

The national park is already preparing for the coming season: The traveling autheater toured through the region with a new piece via bats and attended various events, including the Carnuntum experience and the Storchenfest Marchegg. In the next few weeks, further facilities for nature observation and new information elements will be set up in the Auerwrebnis site. At the beginning of the season on March 21, 2025, the Schlossorth National Park Center will be open again every day.

For more information and stories on the topic, including the 40 years “saves the Hainburger Au”, visit www.meinbeinbezirk.at .