Small is beautiful - this motto is particularly true of
Austria’s smallest national park, the Thayatal National
Park. Located directly at the border to the Czech Republic, it harbours an endless diversity of plant and wildlife within a small area. On the Czech side the nature preserve continues in the Podyji National Park. The national park was named after the little river Thaya, which curves through the quiet countryside in countless slings and meanders. Over the centuries the river created a natural border between Austria and Bohemia, and numerous castles and fortresses still line the old border today.