Description of the attraction
The ruins of Dürnstein Castle are located in the Wachau Valley, above the village of Dürnstein in Lower Austria. The castle was built in the middle of the 12th century by a native of Kenringern. Azzo von Hobatsburg, the founder of the Kenringer family, acquired a land plot from the Tegernsee monastery, where Azzo's descendant, Hadmar I, built a powerful castle. The town of Durnstein and the castle are connected by a defensive wall, which is an extension of the city wall. Above the chapel, there was once a castle courtyard with a huge basement built right in the rock.
Durnstein Castle is famous for being imprisoned by the English king Richard the Lionheart. The king, returning from the crusade in December 1192, was captured by order of King Leopold V Babenberg and placed in the castle of Dürnstein, which belonged to Hadmar II von Kenringer. Here King Richard spent more than a year until a huge ransom was collected - 150 thousand marks of silver. Leopold V used these funds to found the city of Wiener Neustadt.
In 1306, written sources found the first mention of the castle chapel, consecrated in honor of St. John the Theologian. In 1588 the castle was rebuilt by Strain from Schwarzenau. In 1645, at the final stage of the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes, led by Lennart Torstensson, also captured the Dürnstein fortress. As a result of the attack, the castle gates were destroyed. In 1662, the castle was uninhabited, and after 17 years it was no longer subject to reconstruction.
At the end of the 19th century, interest in the romantic ruins of Durnstein increased so much that Prince Camillo Starhemberg built a convenient road to them at his own expense. Dürnstein Castle has become a major tourist attraction in the Wachau Valley. Today it is visited by more than 1.7 million tourists annually.
