Durnstein - Lionheart's Prison

Wachau Valley Village Church

The rain stopped as we sailed away from Melk and headed downstream to our next stop at Durnstein. There was a towpath beside the river and several brave souls rode the cruise-supplied cycles all the way – we stood and cheered them when they arrived back on board.

This stage of the river passes through the Wachau Valley, a world heritage site for its beauty; hilltop castles, postcard villages, vineyards, and apricot orchards carpet the hillsides. I had to acknowledge that its greenness shows the benefit of rain. This area has seen conflict over the centuries; battle after battle as empires ebbed and flowed; not only chateaux but also fortified churches tower above the river. We sat on the sundeck, relaxed, and drank in the splendour.

As Durnstein approached, Weiser, one of the valley’s apricot producers, joined us in the lounge and gave a presentation, with samples, of their wares – our waiters ran around with trays of glasses as each bottle was opened. Herr Weiser pointed out that the family had stores in Durnstein and many of us went straight there from the tasting – it was that good. I bought some apricot liqueur.

Blondel and King Richard Statue

Durnstein’s most famous occupant was the English King Richard the Lionheart (Lowenhertz). Richard was a celebrated warrior – he led his first army to victory at the age of 16. The son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, he spent most of his life fighting wars away from his home country. He was one of the leaders of the Third Crusade alongside Philip of France. It was during this campaign, against the Muslim leader Saladin, that he made the mistake of disrespecting the Austrian King, Leopold V. As they captured the city of Acre, in modern-day Israel, Leopold raised his standard beside those of Philip and Richard. Believing him to be a mere vassal of the Pope, Richard’s men cast Leopold’s standard down into the moat.

As he journeyed home, Richard was captured by Leopold and held for ransom, here in Durnstein Castle. Leopold asked a King’s Ransom but didn’t reveal where he was holding his captive. In legend, Blondel, Richard’s trusty troubadour traveled from castle to castle singing a verse from a love song he’d composed with Richard. When he reached Durnstein, Richard sang the second verse back to him and thus his prison was revealed. There’s a statue commemorating this beside the castle.

Walking through Old Durnstein

The walk up to the castle was steep and lengthy and there’s little of the fortress left but the views. So, we decided to pass and explored the village instead – it’s charming as it hugs close to the hillside, forcing you to walk up and down steps and pass through archways as it reveals its treasures. Not quite Melk but there’s a beautiful church (Stift) cast in Wedgewood blue – the church tower is a Danube landmark. Set in the former Augustine Monastery it discloses a lush interior of gold, marble and, of course, its own pair of Catacomb Saints.

As we purchased our Weiser liqueur it started to rain again, so it was time to head back to the ship for supper and the journey to Vienna – I couldn’t wait to visit the City of Music.

Tower of Stift Durnstein with the Castle in the background

Melk Abbey - Saintly Versailles

We docked in Melk early one morning and I went up on deck. It was raining and ordinarily I would have been disappointed, I hate rain, but it had been so hot that, frankly, I just stood there and let it run down my face. Heaven!

When we’d boarded in Nuremberg we ran into a couple who were at the conclusion of their cruise, just waiting to get off: “If you see nothing else, you must see Melk Abbey!” they said.

So, after breakfast, we took our receivers and an umbrella and we boarded the bus, heading up to the palatial abbey that dominates the Melk skyline. This has been a Benedictine Monastery for almost a thousand years and although its library had been celebrated for a long time, it had been a Spartan  residence for many centuries. Yet, Abbot Berthold Dietmayr in the early 1700’s launched a rebuilding project that created a Baroque palace, complete with a cathedral-like church. Don’t think ‘cold stone edifice;’ this complex is closer to Versailles. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed – so I had to buy the Guide Book.

Ceiling on the Marble Hall

After its renovation the Abbey was used as a Royal Palace with whole sections reserved for Empress Maria Theresa, the only female Hapsburg Ruler, and her husband Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor. There’s a grand marble hall, like a ballroom, and the ceiling depicts scenes from antiquity, with likenesses of the Hapsburgs serving as the heroes.

The Melk Cross on Austrian Stamp

Much of the Abbey is given over to a museum with crown jewels and vestments of the Catholic Church on display. Treasured among these is the Melk Cross, allegedly a sliver of the True Cross (the actual cross of Jesus). The sliver was bestowed upon the Abbey in 1040 and subsequently installed in this exquisite cross in 1362; good luck catching a glimpse of the sliver though, it’s screwed into a compartment in the back. But, the cross has its own story, having been stolen in the 12^th Century and reappearing in Vienna. Legend says that God commanded its return to Melk; the cross disappeared from Vienna and was taken by boat back up the Danube to Melk; it was considered a miracle.

St Coloman’s Relics

Melk has its own saint, Saint Coloman, an unfortunate Irish Prince. In legend, he was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and lodged near Melk for the night. No one could understand a word he said so they arrested him. Within weeks he was hanged from a tree and his body left on display. Intolerance for those different from us goes back a long way… But, his flesh didn’t corrupt; even after 18 months it was as if he’d only just died. He was declared a saint and his  his remains interred in a white sarcophagus high in an altar of the abbey church.

But Coloman isn’t the only Saint interred in the Abbey Church. Two decorated skeletons I took note of as we walked the aisles revealed their own story…

Catacombe Saint in Melk Abbey Church

The Roman catacombs were discovered in 1578, revealing a cache of more than 500,000 skeletons. It was the time of the Counter Reformation; a resurging of Catholicism in reaction to Lutheran austerity, and the Catholic Church seized these skeletons declaring them martyrs. They were named, and then ‘sold' to churches throughout Europe as Catacomb Saints - the Vatican didn’t sell them, of course but collected expenses and donations for excavation, transportation, blessing and decoration. Huge sums were spent decorating them with silver and jewels before the hapless characters were displayed in altars. They were particularly popular in Austria and Germany – people named their children after them.

Yellow Cobbles in Path

There was a problem – the skeletons were a mix of Jews, Christians and Pagans – fortunately, Vatican priests were able to determine which ones were martyrs by the glow or aroma they radiated.

In most of Europe these rather grotesque relics have long since been reinterred but in Melk, they are still on display.

The rain had stopped when we left the Abbey so we walked down the hill and through the town back to the ship. The route wouldn’t be obvious but it’s marked – you simply follow the yellow brick route – some of the cobbles are coloured. We stopped at a café for a Kafe: Austria has a well-deserved reputation for its coffee shops and this place was no exception – I would have loved to stay longer but it was time to cast-off.

Great Coffee in the Cafe in Melk Townsite

Linz - Awakening Memories

Prepare for boarding!

By stealth, humour, and simply changing the subject, I had managed to avoid discussing Donald
Trump, but as we sailed down the Danube one sunny afternoon on our way to Linz, Austria, my luck ran out. We were sat with a couple from Minnesota when the guy opened with: “I hadn’t realized that Hitler was initially elected to power with less than a majority.” It was a prescient comment; Hitler had grown up in Linz. The comparisons continued: exploiting nationalism with ‘we’ll be great again’; demonizing minorities, even inciting attacks on them; dismissing science; and discrediting the free press as fake, in order to legitimize his own desired view of reality. We agreed that the legitimate press needed our support and vowed to subscribe to the New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian.

Plague Column & Dom

Not everyone felt this way. One morning, a gentleman from Florida strode towards me as I stood on the top deck with my camera. “I hear those Muslims want their own cemetery now (referring to a Quebec article); I’ve never asked for my own cemetery!”

“Well, maybe you should?” I said. I’d failed his test – the conversation ended there.

Many years after Hitler, Adolf Eichmann, the Architect of the Holocaust, also spent his youth in Linz. I came of age over the course of the Eichmann Trial in 1961 as images and accounts of ghettos, train journeys, and death camps were seared into my brain by the British newspapers for the months that it took – images that are still there. To its credit, Linz became one of the most active cities in eradicating the signs of Nazism from its streets and commemorating those that had opposed it.

2 Men & an Elephant

Late in the afternoon we docked; this was to be our only stop without an organized tour – we were on our own.  We stepped off the boat and walked up to the main square dominated by the Pestsäule (Plague Column) built in 1723 to celebrate being passed over by the disease. Just off a corner of the square is the Alter Dom (Old Cathedral). This Dom was a must-see for me on this voyage: a place where Beethoven composed and Anton Bruckner, perhaps my favourite composer, played the organ for 12 years. Inside, I breathed in the 19^th Century, …and the cool air - it was a break from the >30°C heat outside.

The square features a stucco moulding of two naked men and an elephant, surrounding a window. Apparently, Maximilian II, before he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, visited Linz in 1552, bringing with him exotic beasts including an Indian elephant. No word on where the two guys came from…

Martinskirche 'Altar'

We decided we just had time to climb to Martinskirche (St Martin’s Church), recognized as the oldest church in Austria. The church sits high above the town and it was hot, with the late afternoon heat that encloses you like a heavy cloak. We trudge onward and upward and, gradually it dawns on me that we’re old and in pain, and that we should be sitting on the boat, sipping a glass of cold beer. But we press on. Originally built by Charlemagne in the 8^th Century this modest house of worship incorporates Roman walls, still visible inside and out. It has been remodelled since and houses 14^th Century frescoes, as well as a lovely stained glass backdrop to the altar. Although it was locked, I was able to point and shoot through a gap in the main door.

As we walked along the path from Martinskirche we discovered the statue of Johannes Kepler, a founder of modern science and a resident of Linz when he published his famous work on planetary motion.  But, it was the 17^th Century, his science was dismissed, the Lutherans excommunicated him, and his mother was tried as a witch, likely as a result of his views. And now, in the 21^st Century, we can only wait for the witch trials to begin again.

The Climb to Martinskirche