Station X: Water cross

Where did the huge crucifix come from? On February 21, 1729, two months after the winter solstice, it was washed ashore in Tulln and erected. A mystical "souvenir" of the Danube, which turns from a calm stream into a raging river several times a year. At first, only fishermen and boatmen worshipped the simple wooden cross. Then the townspeople had a chapel built. It adjoins the rear wall of the former "Strudelhof", whose foundation walls are part of the medieval town fortifications. Two sandstone statues - St. John Nepomuk and St. Charles Borromeo - flank the baroque crucifix. Later, both sculptures are placed in front of the parish church of St. Stephen.

Lifeline and river of destiny.

But the people of Tulln continue to make a pilgrimage to their water chapel. And there, on All Saints' Day, they remember the unknown dead who lost their lives in the wild waters. Because the Danube, like every great river, has two faces. It is a lifeline and a river of destiny, a nourisher and a destroyer. Without its exposed location on the banks, Tulln would never have become a Roman camp and naval base. The Babenbergs would have passed it by, as would traders from all over the world. But when the Danube overflows its banks, when prolonged rain and ice surges flood the dams, valuable possessions and goods are destroyed. Destroyed harvests. People and animals flee. The river takes its toll on all those who live on its banks.