Short & sweet

Location and size

The Lower Austrian part of the national park covers 1,360 hectares.

Natural zone: 1,231 ha
Natural zone with management: 101 ha
Ongoing interventions to protect the ecosystem are permitted here (e.g. mowing the meadows).
Outer zone: 25 ha

Together with the Czech part, about 7,700 ha are protected. The Thaya forms the shared national border along 23 km of the river. However, the length of the river is very different from the distance as the crow flies. This is only 10 km.
The cross-border protected area combines almost 40% of the native flora on just 0.016% of Austria's surface area.

Structure

92% forest
4% meadows
3% waters
1% dry grassland and rock

Roots

The Thayatal National Park was established in 2000 and recognised as a protected area, category II, by the IUCN in 2001.

Valley of diversity

Valley meander - Climate - Geology

The Thayatal National Park lies on a distinct climatic boundary. While the dry Pannonian climate prevails from the east, the humid Atlantic climate dominates on the high plateaus of the Waldviertel. That is why continental and central European flora and fauna mix in the national park.

The magic of the Thayatal near Hardegg lies in the particularly high diversity of different plants in a very small area. Along the widely meandering river loops, the exposure changes constantly but the geological site factors also differ in a small area. This is reflected in the plant life. A total of 1,290 plant species have been identified so far in the two national parks in the Thayatal. By comparison, there are 2,950 of them in the whole of Austria.

Greatest success

In 2007, for the first time in 35 years, DNA analysis was used to identify the European wildcat in Austria. It has since been the subject of several projects, including international ones. And it is proof that animals also re-establish themselves if the habitat is suitable and appropriately protected.

Smallest town in the Green Valley

On the Austrian side, the town of Hardegg is the only village in the Thayatal National Park. With its approximately 80 inhabitants, the cadastral commune of Hardegg is the smallest in Austria.

Challenge Reservoir and power plant

The Podyjí Národní Park stretches between Vranov and Znojmo along a river length of 45 km. Above the town of Vranov is a storage power plant whose operation poses an ecological problem. During the daily surge peaks, the flow increases from min.
1 m³/sec to 30 - 45 m³/sec. A smaller reservoir above Znojmo is used to treat drinking water for the town's 45,000 inhabitants.