Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Austria on his way home from the Holy Lands. His liberty was achieved only upon the
payment of an enormous ransom of 35,000kg of silver (which partly funded the building
of Wiener Neustadt). It was also here that the singing minstrel Blondel attempted to res-
cue his sovereign.
An easy, yellow path starts at the Kremser Gate (marked 'Burgruine'); a more difficult
route begins in the Altstadt (old town). It takes about 25 minutes to walk up to the ruins
whichever path you follow. The ruins are great for scrambling around and there's an
open-air exhibition of sorts giving background on the castle's history and the personalit-
ies associated with it.
Chorherrenstift
(
www.stiftduernstein.at
; Stiftshof; adult/child €2.80/1.50; 9am-6pm Apr-Oct)
Of the picturesque 16th-
century houses and other prominent buildings lining Dürnstein's streets, the meticulously
restored Chorherrenstift is the most impressive. It's all that remains of the former
Augustinian monastery originally founded in 1410; it received its baroque facelift in the
18th century (overseen by Josef Munggenast, among others). Kremser Schmidt did many
of the ceiling and altar paintings. Entry includes access to the porch overlooking the
Danube and an exhibition on the Augustinian monks who once ruled the roost here (up
until the monastery was dissolved by Joseph II in 1788).
ABBEY
Sleeping & Eating
Pension Böhmer
( 239; Hauptstrasse 22; s €42, d €52-62; )
This small
Pension
in the heart of town has com-
fortable rooms that won't cost you a king's ransom. It's only a hop, step and a crawl to
the castle from here.
GUESTHOUSE
$
HOTEL
$$
Hotel Schloss Dürnstein
( 212;
www.schloss.at
; Dürnstein 2; s €139-169, d €185-225; Apr-mid-Oct; )
This castle is
the last word in luxury in town and also boasts a high-end restaurant. Most rooms are
tastefully furnished in antiques, a massage can be arranged for your arrival, and there's a
sauna and steam bath. The terrace restaurant enjoys staggering views over the river. Stay
10 nights and you get a night on the house (which might be useful if you happen to be
broke by that stage). Closed over the winter.
