Dürnstein Castle () is the ruin of a medieval rock castle in Austria. It is located in

Dürnstein Dürnstein () is a small town on the Danube river in the Krems-Land district, in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is one of the most-visited tourist destinations in the Wachau region and also a well-known wine growing area. The municipal ...

, in the Lower Austrian

Wachau The Wachau () is an Austrian valley formed by the Danube River. It is one of the most prominent tourism in Austria, tourist destinations of Lower Austria, located between the towns of Melk and Krems an der Donau, Krems that attracts epicureans ...

region on the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

river, at above sea level.

History

The castle was erected in the early 12th century at the behest of Hadmar I of Kuenring (d. 1138), a ''

ministerialis The ''ministeriales'' (singular: ''ministerialis'') were a legally unfree but socially elite class of knights, administrators, and officials in the High Middle Ages in the Holy Roman Empire, drawn from a mix of servile origins, free commoners, and ...

'' in the service of Margrave Leopold III of Austria, on the estates his ancestor Azzo of Gobatsburg had acquired from

Tegernsee Abbey Tegernsee Abbey ( German ''Kloster Tegernsee'' or ''Abtei Tegernsee'') is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around it are named after the Tegernsee, the lake ...

in the late 11th century. Hadmar, who also founded nearby Zwettl Abbey, had the fortress constructed in a strategic location overlooking the river Danube. It is connected to Dürnstein through a defensive wall extending from the city walls. The castle is known for being one of the places where King

Richard I of England Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

, returning from the

Third Crusade The Third Crusade (1189–1192) was an attempt led by King Philip II of France, King Richard I of England and Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to reconquer the Holy Land following the capture of Jerusalem by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin in 1187. F ...

, was imprisoned after being captured near

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

by Duke Leopold V of Austria, from December 1192 until his extradition to Emperor Henry VI in March 1193. In 1428 and 1432,

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

forces plundered the city and castle of Dürnstein. In 1645, near the end of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War, fought primarily in Central Europe between 1618 and 1648, was one of the most destructive conflicts in History of Europe, European history. An estimated 4.5 to 8 million soldiers and civilians died from battle, famine ...

, a Swedish contingent under

Lennart Torstensson Lennart Torstensson (17 August 1603 – 7 April 1651), Swedish Field Marshal and later Governor-General of Pomerania, Västergötland, Dalsland, Värmland and Halland. He adapted the use of artillery on the battlefield, making it a more mobile we ...

conquered Dürnstein. Upon their withdrawal, the troops destroyed parts of the gate system. As of 1662, the castle was no longer inhabited permanently, but was still listed as a possible shelter in the

Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) The Austro-Turkish War (1663–1664) or fourth Austro-Turkish War was a short war between the Habsburg monarchy and the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman aim was to resume the advance in central Europe, conquer Vienna and subdue Austria. The Ottoman ...

. In 1663, Conrad Balthasar of Starhemberg purchased the castle, which is still owned by his heirs to this date. From 1679 on, however, the castle was no longer habitable and was abandoned. Today, the fortress is part of the "Wachau Cultural Landscape" UNESCO

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

Gallery

File:Dürnstein - Burgruine mit Stadtmauer.jpg, Castle from the east File:Dürnstein - Burgruine (a).JPG, Southwest view of castle File:Tor Burgruine - panoramio.jpg, Archways inside the castle File:Ruine duernstein 04.jpg, Cellar entrance, inner courtyard File:Burgruine Dürnstein - 7.jpg, Main tower ruins File:Castle at durnstein.jpg, Engraving circa 1842 File:Meyers Universum Band 06 10.jpg, 1839 illustration from the north File:Durnstein - panoramio.jpg, Town of Dürnstein with castle overlooking File:Dürnstein from above.jpg, Castle and town from the north

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burgruine Durnstein Castles in Lower Austria Establishments in the Margraviate of Austria

History

Gallery

See also

References