A hiker walks past a marterl on a popular hiking route near Weißenkirchen in Wachau Valley, Lower Austria

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The Domäne Wachau vineyards are found throughout the Wachau on the steep dry stone terraces on both sides of the Danube River. The dry stone walls of the terraced vineyards are an essential part of the terroir in the Wachau. These walls were constructed from natural rock and rubble without the help of cement mortar. The religious monument is a Marterl (wayside shrine). The Austrian/south German designation 'Marterl' hearkens back to the Greek 'martyros' (martyr)

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Size: 6000px × 4000px
Location: near Weißenkirchen, Wachau, Lower Austria, Austria
Photo credit: © Stephen Frost / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: Yes

Keywords: austria, autumn, dry, drystone, female, hiker, hiking, icon, marterl, religion, religious, shrine, stone, terraces, terracing, valley, vineyard, vineyards, wachau, walker, walking, wall, walls, wayside, weissenkirchen, woman