Willendorf in der Wachau

Palaeolithic site in the Wachau valley, Lower Austria, world-famous for the discovery of the Venus of Willendorf in 1908 during railway construction. This 11 cm female figurine carved from oolitic limestone is nearly 30,000 years old and is the most important Upper Palaeolithic find in Austria. The site preserves nine cultural layers in 6m of loess deposits spanning 50,000 years, including the lowest layers that may represent a rare Neanderthal open-air site. Excavations led by Josef Szombathy (1908-1927) revealed hearths, tent dwellings, and remains of horses, reindeer, and mammoths from seasonal winter encampments.