If I Were Going...: Viking River Cruise: Wachau Valley

Pfarrkirche tower in front of Burgruine Dürnstein

Göttweig Abbey was our introduction to the Wachau Valley and now we were sailing through it on our way to Passau. One of the most prominent tourist destinations of Lower Austria, the 25-mile-long Wachau Valley is between Krems (home of Göttweig Abbey) and Melk. It is famous for its vineyards, hills and castles.

Map: Cruisemapper.com

The first beautiful sight was the lovely little village of Dürnstein with the striking blue Tower of the Abbey Church of Pfarrkirche (parish church). And, up on the hill above the town is the Burgruine Dürnstein (Kuenringerburg castle), a 12th century castle where King Richard the Lionheart of England was held captive by Duke Leopold V from December 1192 to March 1193.

Burgruine Dürnstein ruins

Allegedly, Richard insulted Leopold by throwing an Austrian flag into a drain. He was returning from the Third Crusade after a shipwreck near Italy forced him to travel over land. The story goes that, as an attempt to disguise himself, he had grown a beard, but was identified (I guess a beard just doesn’t provide that much of a disguise -- maybe a tiny black mask like the Lone Ranger or Zorro). So, he was captured.

He was released after paying a ransom of 77,000 lbs. of silver ($2.1 million in today’s value) -- a sum that indebted the English population and brought prosperity to Vienna.

Legend has it that Richard's servant, Blondel, traveled from castle to castle looking for Richard. At each castle, he sang a stanza of a song that was only known to his king. When he arrived at Dürnstein, he sang his song and heard, in response, Richard singing the second stanza. Then, according to the myth, Blondel facilitated the King's freedom.

Dürnstein

Dürnstein was established in 1019 AD on a rocky promontory along a gentle bend in the Danube. Known then as Tirnstein, it was built at an elevation of 630 ft. with fortifications for the settlement and protection against floods. The Danube floods often -- sometimes dramatically.

For such an old town, it hasn’t grown much; it now has a population of 936.

At 1,024 ft. above sea level, the stone Dürnstein castle was erected by Hadmar I of Kuenring, who also founded nearby Zwettl Abbey.

Burgruine Dürnstein ruins; for once bad weather was a photographic asset

The castle overlooks the river and is connected to Dürnstein through a defensive wall extending from the city walls. In 1428 and 1432, Hussite forces plundered the city and castle and, in 1645, a Swedish contingent conquered Dürnstein. When they left, they destroyed parts of the gate system. By 1662, the castle was no longer inhabited, but was listed as a possible shelter in the Austro-Turkish War. In 1663, Conrad Balthasar of Starhemberg purchased the castle and his heirs still own the ruins.

The Pfarrkirche has its roots in 1372, when Elizabeth von Kuenring founded a personal chapel in the castle. In 1400, she donated half of her family home to be used as an Augustinian monastery. The cloister, monastery complex, church and crypt the Augustines built around the former chapel was consecrated in 1410.

Distinctive blue Pfarrkirche tower

In 1710, exactly 300 years later, the church was renovated in the Baroque style by some of the most famous architects, stucco artists, sculptors and painters of the time. The tower they created is painted blue and white to represent “resurrection and overcoming suffering in a freer, celestial world.” In the late 1980s, the entire Monastery was extensively renovated to include meeting and function rooms. It also houses a primary school and apartments for long-term rent.

The view of the of the Dürnstein was probably the prettiest thing I saw on the entire trip. While a sunny day might have made for pretty pictures, the changeable skies created some drama.

Dürnstein

After we swung around the bend and said good-bye to Dürnstein ...

Leaving Dürnstein

... we saw the statue of Richard the Lionheart being sung to by his faithful servant, Blondel ...

Statue of Richard the Lionheart and his servant, Blondel

As we continued to speed along the Danube, we passed beautiful rolling hills covered with vineyards and dotted with quaint towns.

Wachau vineyards

The Wachau Valley is well known for both grapes and apricots (marille), which are used to produce specialty liquors and wines, including dry Rieslings and Grüner Veltliners. Grapes grow well because river and the stony slopes by the river retain heat, moderating temperatures.

Irrigation is required because the thin soil on the slopes doesn’t retain enough natural rainwater.

The next village we passed was Weißenkirchen, a village known for its wine. The most prominent building is a beautiful country church, which is the town’s namesake (Weißenkirchen means white church).

Weißenkirchen

Originally built in the 14th century, the church was both a center of worship and a fortification to protect the villagers from plundering Turks.

So far, everything we had seen was beautiful – some quaint, some imposing, but all appropriate for the landscape and the “feel” of the place.

Then there’s this …

EEEEWWWWW

The Wachauer Nase is a hideous nose statue that pays tribute to the role the nose plays in winemaking. There is just something icky about nostrils you can walk into ...

Then, we’re back on track with Wehrkirche St. Michael, a beautiful stone church right by the water.

Wehrkirche St. Michael

The fortified church, which stands on the site of a small Celtic sacrificial site, was the seat of the formerly far-reaching parish and mother church of the Wachau. Most of the current church was built in the 1500s and renovated in 1948.

On the roof ridge of the choir are copies of seven terracotta figures whose originals are kept in the Krems City Museum. They represent deer and horses, but are known as "the seven hares of St. Michael." It’s a bit confusing.

Deer? Horses? Rabbits?

Not too far from the bunny church are the ruins of Hinterhaus Castle in the town of Spitz. Set on a sloping hill – on this day ablaze with fall colors -- this castle looks like what a castle in Austria ought to look like.

Hinterhaus Castle

First mentioned in 1243, Hinterhaus Castle is said to be haunted. One story says it is possessed by spirit of Adelheid, wife of “Henry the Iron,” who appears each year on the anniversary of her husband's death. Apparently, Adelheid felt that Henry was too quick to marry after her death.

Hinterhaus Castle

Occupied since Celtic times, the town of Spitz was first mentioned in 830. Like most towns in Austria, Spitz’s most compelling feature is a lovely church.

Spitz

The next town, Willendorf, also featured a lovely church (yep, they all do), but gets its fame from a primitive chalkstone statue called the "Venus of Willendorf" that was discovered in 1908. Widely considered to be the image of a fertility goddess, the statue is estimated to be 25,000 years old and is now on display at the Natural History Museum in Vienna

Willendorf

And, next, some more castle ruins.

Burgruine Aggstein was built on a rock ledge 300 ft. above the river in the early part of the 12th century by the Kuenringer family.

Burgruine Aggstein

They were known for imprisoning rivals for ransom, tying them to a rock ledge and threatening to kill them by throwing them into the gorge. Fun!

The castle was besieged during the revolt of the Austrian nobility against Duke Albrecht I in 1295-96.

Kuenringer Leutold occupied the castle from 1348 to 1355 and then it fell into disrepair.

Burgruine Aggstein’s notoriety continued when, in 1438, Duke Albrecht V built a riverbank toll booth below the castle to collect "taxes" (AKA bribes for passage) from passing boats.

Burgruine Aggstein

Later, another dishonest baron, Georg von Stain, occupied the castle. He was expelled and was forced to surrender the castle in 1476. In 1529, the castle was burned during the first Turkish siege of Vienna. It was rebuilt in the late 1500s and has had multiple owners since.

Soon we came to Schönbühel Castle, which also dates from the 12th Century. It sits on a large rock outcropping right on the river.

Schönbühel Castle

The site may have been a Roman fortress before the castle was built. It has been a private home throughout most of its life – and still is. Can you imagine living there?

Schönbühel Castle

As the sun was seriously beginning to set, we cruised by Melk and its magnificent Benedictine Abbey.

Melk

Founded in in 1089, the Abbey is located above the town on a granite outcrop at an elevation of 748 ft. Although continuously occupied by monks since it was founded, the current Baroque building was constructed between 1702 and 1736.

Catching the sunset

It has a 1,188 ft.-long front facade and a 210 ft.-high dome.

The narrow west-facing wall is painted the original color combination of bright orange-yellow and white. The Abbey has 1,888 windows!

In the 15th century, the Abbey was at the center of monastic reforms termed as "Melk Reforms."

Since 1625, the Abbey has been a member of the Austrian Congregation, now within the Benedictine Confederation.

Due to its fame and academic stature, Melk managed survive when many other Austrian abbeys were seized and dissolved between 1780 and 1790.

It also survived the Napoleonic Wars and Nazi occupation, although the school and a large part of the abbey were confiscated by the state in 1938.

The school was returned to the Abbey after the World War II and now has 700 pupils and is one of most respected institutions in Austria.

Melk

Melk is at the end of the Wachau Valley. It’s absolutely gorgeous and would certainly be worth exploring extensively. The problem with cruising is that you just pass by.

Passing another boat

But, you would need a lot more time to do the area justice.

We had been cruising all afternoon and had traveled about 25 miles from Gottweig Abbey in Krems to Melk.

Wachau Valley sights

Along the way, we encountered a couple of birds (hard to photograph in the stormy light). They included Great Cormorants ...

Great Cormorant

Carrion Crows ...

Moving fast

And, a Common Buzzard that was very far away, flying high above (and often behind) a hill by Wehrkirche St. Michael.

A true Buzzard

I wasn't able to identify it until I came back to the states -- and I had a little help ( OK, a lot of help) from The Facebook Bird ID Group of the World. Yes, that's a thing and they are very helpful.

Oh, and do not be confused by the name, "Common Buzzard."

A Buzzard is actually a hawk in Europe.

In the U.S. the term is sometimes used incorrectly for a Vulture.

Our cruise through the Wachau Valley was the one day where we actually had an advantage of being on a boat -- and were able to use the top deck (although it was cold). This was what I hoped the entire Viking cruise would be (along with longer stops in cities).