Durnstein Attractions 
After Weissenkirchen the Danube describes an arc to the right and then reaches Dürnstein, the "Pearl of the Wachau" (220m/722ft; pop. 1,100), the most popular tourist attraction in the Wachau. The little town is enclosed within a triangle of walls and towers, the walls winding up to the ruined castle 150m/490ft above the town. The Augustinian monastery, founded in 1410 and dissolved in 1788, is a masterpiece of Baroque architecture.
Opposite lies the pleasant little market town of Rossatz.
Opposite lies the pleasant little market town of Rossatz.
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Parish Church
The baroque towers of this well appointed church are famously known as a landmark of the Danube valley.
Dürnstein Castle
From Dürnstein a flight of steps (half an hour's climb) ascends the hill to the massive ruins of the 12th C. Dürnstein Castle (destroyed by the Swedes in 1645). Here in 1193 Richard the Lion-hearted was imprisoned by Duke Leopold VI of Austria, with whom he had quarreled during the Third Crusade; and it is here that the minstrel Blondel is said to have discovered his master. There is a magnificent view from the castle.
