Krems-Stein, the idyllic twin town, is considered to be the "Gateway to the Wachau" and a pioneering model of monument management with World Heritage status. At the same time, however, the town’s more recent history – and above all its contemporary history – is marred by numerous dark spots.

The Wachau region was inscribed in the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites as a continuing cultural landscape in 2000. Little is known about the value of World Heritage, in particular the “OUV - outstanding universal value”. A major awareness-raising campaign is intended to change this and specifically address the population. The knowledge and importance of the Wachau Cultural Landscape should be imbued in the population as a way of getting everyone to handle this World Heritage site with greater sensitivity.

SANLAS Holding is looking to integrate the private gardens of Hollenburg Private Clinic into the regional tourism offering. In cooperation with the local tourism agency, Donau Niederösterreich Tourismus GmbH, a master plan is to be created that defines how the gardens and the publicly accessible infrastructure of the clinic can be used.

The historic town of Dürnstein, with its many iconic buildings of historic importance, such as the blue tower of the abbey church or the castle ruins, has been a hotspot of activity in the Wachau tourism region from day one. The limited space available, the lack of coordination between the visiting times of different tour operators and the many options available for coming to visit the town all result in very high visitor numbers. This is creating an ever stronger sense of exploitation amongst the town’s few permanent residents (according to a recent count, only 93 people live within the town walls) and of being a stranger in one’s own home.

The World Heritage Centre at the boat station in Stein, in the municipality of Krems, was opened in September 2011. Ever since then, it has proven to be extraordinarily stable in terms of its design and substance. However, seven years later, some of the information is no longer up to date and a few things have happened in the region in recent years that are not represented on the information panels in the World Heritage Centre.

Approximately 600 asylum seekers and recognised asylum seekers currently live in the Wachau-Dunkelsteinerwald region. Building on the work done in the asylum and integration coordination project, targeted measures and offers should be put in place to improve the integration of people who fled to us in recent years. A central role will be accorded to the people already well advanced in the integration process.

Over the coming three years, the Danube Lower Austrian Visitors` Ring will be organising a comprehensive package of qualification measures with training courses, workshops and excursions in a LEADER cooperation project for establishments in the Wachau and Nibelungengau. The landlords should be provided with business training and prepared for future challenges. The changing needs of guests as a result of demographic changes should be identified and the offer adjusted to Holiday on the Farm establishments, vineyards and private room landlords.

Almost all municipalities in the LEADER region have taken in people who have fled from war and persecution in recent months. At the same time, committed citizens everywhere are taking care of these people on a voluntary basis – both during the asylum procedure and after they become recognised refugees. This work is challenging and takes up a lot of time. Providing these committed citizens with intensive support can give them the knowledge they need to increase the efficiency of their work through networking or to assist them in times of crisis.

...is an online platform for practical scientific papers on regional development in Lower Austria. Students and topic providers meet at a “topic market place”. This is made possible by the six LEADER regions of Donau NÖ-Mitte, Kamptal, Niederösterreich Süd, Römerland Carnuntum, Wachau-Dunkelsteinerwald and Weinviertel-Manhartsberg, for which the active search for diploma students is a major concern. The platform at www.diplomarbeitsboerse.at put the topics and issues of the regions/municipalities in contact with students and vice versa as a way of bringing fresh ideas and science perspectives to the regions.