Durnstein

Now sailing through Austria and there is a change to the riverbank. The water level is still low so seeing “beaches”, but behind them a wider variety of larger trees and forested hills. This scene is broken up by small villages with the vineyards in the fields and terraced hills nearby. Durnstein is one of these small villages although perhaps one of the oldest ones as dates back to around 800. We arrived here overnight and have an hour walking tour, then an hour to get back to the ship before it leaves at 11:00. The main claim to fame is that the castle (now a ruin being destroyed in the Catholic / Protestant wars) overlooking the village was where Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned for 3 months on his return from the crusades. The village naturally now has a hotel named after this famous visitor. This hotel in the small main square was originally built as a convent for the Poor Clares then became a grain store and then a wine store. A new “castle”, more realistically a palace was built in the village and this is now another hotel, although it does have the benefit of a nearby watchtower used to monitor the river. The small main square has a pillory stone, (you can see the steel ring where offenders were hung from for a while as an example to others). The mint coloured building was the village bathhouse hence the painting above the door. There is only one of the gateways remaining from the period when the village was surrounded by a wall, Dürnstein abbey with the blue church tower behind, is no longer used as a monastery and is now just the village church with other buildings used as the village primary school and for meetings.
Back on ship for our 11:00 departure.Read more