Lake Neusiedl is a shallow steppe lake without large natural inflows, its water balance is determined almost exclusively by evaporation and rainfall. It's amazing that the water depth is nowhere more than about 2 meters. The lake is very young, it was formed about 13,000 years ago by tectonic movement. The lake is almost completely surrounded by a reed belt that is the habitat for rare animals and the breeding area for many migratory birds. In particular, the lake is attractive for bird watchers, but is also popular with sailors and sail boarders. The special climate - many days of sunshine, mild climate in the fall - provides ideal conditions for wine growing. There are many vineyards around the lake and both, red and white wines are excellent. I think the inscription is justified both for cultural and natural criteria.

The best way to explore Lake Neusiedl is a bicycle tour. We started our day tour in Rust and cycled around the entire Austrian part of the lake (a total of approximately 80 km). In Morbisch we took the ferry to Illmitz, the ferry is only for cyclists and hikers. During the crossing we've got a good impression of the dense reed belt, nowhere you can see a real shoreline. On the east side, the so-called Seewinkel, the cycle path leads through an area with many small saline lakes. We've seen a lot of birds and there are several look-outs, from where you have nice views over the lake and the surrounding landscape. Unfortunately, the headwind was very strong and sometimes it was hard to get forward. We had a first larger break in Podersdorf. Here is the only part of the lake where the reed has a gap and you have access to the lakeside. In Podersdorf is also the pier for tour boats. On the west side of the lake the reed belt is larger, in some areas it is several kilometres wide. The cycle track passes through some lovely towns with typical wine cellars, like in Breitenbronn and Purbach. There we had a few breaks and we sampled the local wine. We stayed overnight in Rust, the most beautiful town at the lake, with many wine taverns and inns.