The Tiny But Charming Town Of Dürnstein

The tune of Austrian composer Johann Strauss’s famous waltz, "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" did not lie. Along the picturesque Wachau Valley in Lower Austria, thirty miles of vineyards stretch along the mighty Danube river. In the middle of this is a charming little town with the ruins of a castle looming proudly over the meanders.

This town is called Dürnstein, and is a staple for many river cruises in the Danube. In fact, it is so popular that even kosher cruises, which usually focus on Jewish heritage sites, also visit this village.

Dürnstein is indeed small, having less a thousand inhabitants. It lies directly on the Danube and is one of the most important tourist destinations in the Wachau region, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The surrounding area is known for its wine production. The local vineyards are mainly overgrown with white varieties, such as Riesling or Müller Thurgau.

Whether you go by boat or on the road, following the flow of the river, you can not miss Dürnstein and its dominant, a blue-white baroque church tower. The local monastery’s history begins in 1410, when it was founded as the Dürnstein Abbey by the Canons Regular from Třeboň. In 1710, it was rebuilt in the Baroque style according to plans by Joseph Munggenast, Jakob Prandtauer and Matthias Steinl. The monastery was dissolved by order of Emperor Joseph II in 1788 and soon fell to the Herzogenburg Priory.

If you look up the little town, you cannot miss the silhouette of a humongous medieval castle’s ruins, built on a rocky slope. The legend has it that King Richard I of England, known as Richard the Lionheart, was held captive by Leopold V, Duke of Austria after their dispute during the Third Crusade in 1192. Richard the Lionheart had offended Leopold the Virtuous by casting down his standard from the walls at the Battle of Acre, and the duke also suspected that King Richard ordered the murder of his cousin Conrad of Montferrat in Jerusalem. Consequently, Pope Celestine III excommunicated Leopold for capturing a fellow crusader. The duke finally gave the custody of the king to Emperor Henry VI, who imprisoned Richard at Trifels Castle.

According to another legend, a loyal servant of the name Jean Blondel freed Richard the Lionheart after seeking his master across Austria for months. When he finally arrived at the castle, he started singing Richard’s favorite song. The second verse was suddenly answered from a grilled window of the dungeon by the prisoner. Jean recognized his master and helped him escaped.

The town itself gained its name from the castle. It was known ever since as "Dürrstein", from the German "dürr" meaning "dry", and "Stein", meaning "stone“. Altogether it meant "A Dry Stone“. It is an allusion describing the conditions within the castle area. Since it is located on a tall, rocky, windy hill,  it does not share the damp conditions of the Danube at the base of the hill. Built mostly out of stone, the conditions contrasted dramatically with the humid valley.

A so-called Donkey Trail leads from the village all the way up to the castle. If you feel like hiking, take good shoes and go up. The view overlooking the entire area of the Wacha Valley is breathtaking and is definitely worth the effort.