‘The Danube – Route of Emperors and Kings’ is an international working group which includes ten tourism organisations and river cruise lines. These members work to promote their common European heritage and let visitors today travel in the footsteps of Marcus Aurelius, Frederick I, the Habsburgs and many others.
On the distant horizon I see
A white sail gliding;
I want to go with you! …
Empress Elisabeth’s love of travel is almost legendary. In numerous poems she wrote off her inner restlessness, which led her – by ship or by train – to remote paradises as well as to numerous nearby imperial and royal places of longing.
Dedicated to the theme of art, culture and architecture is one story of the “Transdanube Travel Stories”, which were created as part of the Interreg EU project of the same name. Each of these stories follows a sustainable travel route along a specific section of the Danube.
A social, cultural and economic environment created by multi-ethnic contacts and inspirations over very long periods of time has fostered innovation and influenced music, art, theater and literature, all the way to architecture – a phenomenon of “cultural fertilization” that can be experienced throughout the Danube region. Come with us on a journey of cultural experiences from Ulm to Serbia, via Romania to Croatia.
The House of Habsburg and Catholicism have always been inextricably intertwined. This connection manifests itself not least in Vienna’s famous Capuchin Crypt, where several members of the former ruling dynasty face eternity in magnificent sarcophagi. In this article, we will take you on a journey down far lesser-known paths of Habsburg religious mania, and show you the places where Maria Theresa and her daughters left their spiritual traces.
The Route of Emperors and Kings extends along the Danube from mediaeval Regensburg, through Passau, Linz, Vienna and Bratislava, to the metropolis of Budapest, linking urban cultural centres, historic treasures and world-class landscapes. This is where the history of Central Europe was written, and this history remains very much a part of life today. From Roman times onwards, kings and queens travelled on and along the Danube with their royal entourages. Over the centuries, this age-old route therefore came to be known as the ‘Route of Emperors and Kings’ – and it has lost none of its appeal to this day.
