Dürnstein | Danube River Cruise
June 3, 2009 by Helen Page
Filed under Featured, Sightseeing
Visiting Dürnstein on a Danube river cruise:
Dürnstein's Stiftskirche
On any Danube River Cruise, you will no doubt stop at the charming village of Dürnstein. This village offers visitors the unique combination of a breathtaking scenery, acres of terraced vineyards, traditional architecture and places of historic interest.
Situated in the heart of the magnificent Wachau Valley, Dürnstein sits on a river bend, below a rocky promontory, on the banks of the mighty Danube River. As your riverboat approaches the village your tour director will most certainly call you to the sundeck because the sight of this larger than life wedgewood-like baroque church tower is breathtaking. It’s no wonder that every river cruise company uses the same picture of Dürnstein in their travel brochure.
Dürnstein was the seat of the powerful medieval Kuenring dynasty and is the perfect place to tell tales of long ago. The most common tale that is still told today is the imprisonment of Richard the Lion-Heart, King of England, in the 12th-century. The famous English King is said to have ridiculed the Austrian flag on the Third Crusade and as a result insulted Duke Leopold V von Babenberg.
In 1191 Richard the Lion-Heart tried sneaking through the Wachau Valley disguised as a peasant. At Acre, in Palestine, he raised the English banner and appropriated all the booty. Despite his disguise he was recognised and captured. Richard the Lion Heart was incarcerated in Kuenringerburg from 1192 to 1193.
The Romantic Legend
As the legend goes, Blondel, King Richard’s faithful minstrel, wondered along the river banks singing popular English ballads. At Dürnstein he heard the King joining in the chorus. Thus it was that Blondel was able to track down his King, whose freedom was secured upon the payment of a huge ransom. Yes, it cost England 23,000 kilos of silver to secure Richard the Lion-Heart’s release. We’ll leave it to the historians to sort out what the true account is but a romantic legend is always good for tourism.
Today, Dürnstein is famous for its vineyards. With its mild climate, grapes and apricots flourish here. Dürnstein’s Stiftskirche is one of the finest baroque towers in all of Austria. Within the interior, Faith, Hope and Charity watch over the carved pulpit. Kuenringer Castle ruins, in which Richard the Lionheart was held prisoner, sits on the hilltop overlooking Dürnstein.
Wondering through the village, you’ll walk on many cobbled streets like Hauptstrasse. Colourful wrought-iron signs and floral displays decorate the streets which are lined with picturesque 16th-century houses. Blondel is still remembered in town by the Hotel Blondel.
In the past this fortified town on the Danube was occupied by ruthless robber barons, pious crusaders, merry abbots, proud ship captains and wealthy traders. They would be making their way through the picturesque streets, milling around the small square with their stocks, or entering the monastery wine cellars. Today Dürnstein village is much more serene, there are many litte tourist shops, and the robber barons, crusaders and abbots have been replaced by less fearsome tourists and holidaymakers.
See Travel Signposts Dürnstein Photos HERE.
