Dürnstein

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This article is about the village of Dürnstein in the Wachau. For the Dürnstein in Styria, see Dürnstein in der Steiermark.

Dürnstein

Coat of arms	Location

Administration
Country	Austria
State	Lower Austria
District	Krems-Land
Mayor	Barbara Schwarz (ÖVP)
Basic statistics
Area	16.81 km² (6.5 sq mi)
Elevation	209 m (686 ft)
Population	911 (31/12/2005)
- Density	54 /km² (140 /sq mi)
Other information
Time zone	CET/CEST (UTC+1/+2)
Licence plate	KR
Postal code	3601
Area code	02711
Website	www.duernstein.at Coordinates: 48°23′44″N 15°31′13″E / 48.39556, 15.52028

Dürnstein is a town in the Wachau in Krems-Land, Austria. It belongs to one of the most visited tourist destinations in Lower Austria.

[edit] Etymology

The town gained its name from the medieval castle which overlooked it. The castle was called "Duerrstein" or "Dürrstein", from the German duerr/dürr meaning "dry" and Stein, "stone". The castle was dry because it was situated on a rocky hill, high above the damp conditions of the Danube River at the base of the hill, and it was built of stone.

[edit] History

In the castle above the town, King Richard the Lion-Hearted of England was held captive by Duke Leopold V after their dispute during the Third Crusade in 1193. The castle was almost completely destroyed by the Swedes in 1645. The Battle of Dürenstein was fought nearby in 1805.