NEUSIEDLER SEE-RADWEG | Esterbauer cycling guide

cycling guide

Am Fuße des Leithagebirges erstreckt sich die silbrig glänzende Wasserfläche des Neusiedler Sees. Er ist ein typischer Steppensee und nimmt derzeit eine Fläche von etwa 320 Qua­drat­kilometern ein, wovon rund 170 Quadratkilometer reine Schilf­­fläche sind.
Von seiner nördlichsten Spitze bei Neusiedl bis nach Ungarn misst der See 35 Kilometer, seine größte Breite erreicht er mit 14 Kilometern zwischen Purbach und Podersdorf. Geo­graphisch gesehen bildet er mit den ihn umgebenden Gebieten den westlichsten Ausläufer der Kleinen Ungarischen Tiefebene. Charakteristisch für den Neusiedler See sind seine geringe Wassertiefe, die maximal zwei Meter, meist aber nur einen bis eineinhalb Meter beträgt, sein bis zu fünf Kilometer breiter Schilfgürtel, die Trübung und der, für ein Binnengewässer, hohes Salzgehalt des Wassers.
Für das Klima des Gebietes ist die große Wassermenge von herausragender Bedeutung, da sie auf die Temperatur und die Luftfeuchtigkeit der Umgebung einen entscheidenden Einfluss ausübt.
Der Neusiedler See hat aber nicht nur als Klimaregler, Schilflieferant, Fischwasser und Heimat vieler seltener Vogelarten Bedeutung. Alljährlich finden Tausende Einheimische und Gäste an seinen Stränden Erholung. Er lädt ein zum Schwimmen und Rudern, und das Gebiet rund um den See ist für Radtouren geradezu wie geschaffen. Wer meint, sein Glück auf dem Rücken der Pferde zu finden, dem bietet sich dazu in allen Orten des Seewinkels Gelegenheit. Das nördliche Burgenland war immer ein Land der Pferde, und man ist sich dieser Tradition auch heute noch bewusst. Ein Ritt an den Ufern des Sees zählt zu den schönsten Erlebnissen für einen Reiter.

The silvery water surface of Lake Neusiedl stretches at the foot of the Leitha Mountains. It is a typical steppe lake and currently occupies an area of around 320 square kilometers, of which around 170 square kilometers are pure reeds.
The lake measures 35 kilometers from its northernmost tip near Neusiedl to Hungary, and its greatest width is 14 kilometers between Purbach and Podersdorf. From a geographical point of view, it forms the westernmost extension of the Little Hungarian Plain with the surrounding areas. Characteristic of Lake Neusiedl are its shallow water depth, which is a maximum of two meters, but usually only one to one and a half meters, its reed belt up to five kilometers wide, the cloudiness and, for an inland water, high salinity of the water.
The large amount of water is of outstanding importance for the climate of the area, since it has a decisive influence on the temperature and humidity of the environment.
The Neusiedler See is not only important as a climate controller, reed supplier, fish water and home to many rare bird species. Every year thousands of locals and guests find relaxation on its beaches. It invites you to swim and row, and the area around the lake is perfect for cycling. Anyone who thinks they can find happiness on horseback has the opportunity to do so in all places on the Seewinkel. Northern Burgenland has always been a country of horses, and this tradition is still known today. A ride on the shores of the lake is one of the most beautiful experiences for a rider.
“Neusiedler See” means not only the water surface and the reed belt, but also the areas surrounding it. The area of the Puszta used to border the lake, where huge herds of cattle were driven across the country by the shepherds. Extensive, flat willow trees with their typical draw well shaped this landscape. Today there are still remnants of this at Apetlon on the Lange Lacke.
The landscape on the east side of the lake is changing: the wavy foothills of the Leitha Mountains merge with the plain of the lake, which, with its melancholy mood, is reminiscent of the Hungarian Puszta. Dusty roads and country lanes used to lead through the treeless plains with pastures, fields and lots of salt paints. Today, wide roads open up the country, on which heavy traffic rolls in summer. Nevertheless, the Seewinkel is still a land of silence. You have to leave this landscape alone, here where the sky is wider than anywhere else, where bizarre cloud formations tower over the plain and where a huge red full moon rises. There are still isolated draw wells, symbols of a more and more dwindling Pusztaland. The herds of cattle have become rare, but there are still enough geese. The Leitha Mountains extend northwest of the lake. Lime is deposited on its crystalline core. This also explains the many famous quarries that have existed here since Roman times. The Leitha Mountains are the remnant of an old, lost mountain range that connected the Alpine arch with the small Carpathians.
On the eastern slopes of the Leithagebirge there are mostly vineyards, which are interspersed with numerous cherry trees, so that at the time of the cherry blossom, in April, a white veil of flowers lays over the slopes. You can enjoy an overwhelming view on the Zeilerberg with winds. When the weather is clear, the view extends from there to the northeast to the Hundsheim Mountains, which are the last outpost of the Carpathians to limit the horizon, to the west over the summits of the Leithagebirge to the Schneeberg, to the south into the Rosaliengebirge and far east over the lake mirror and the Seewinkel into the Hungarian lowlands.

The length of the Neusiedlersee cycle path is 125 kilometers (excluding excursions).