Dürnstein

A small town on the Danube in the Wachau, and a well-known wine-growing place. It takes its name from the castle above it, from dürr, dry, and Stein, stone, because the castle stood on a rocky hill clear of the damp air by the river, with the modern town between the two. It is first mentioned in 1192, when Richard I of England was held in that castle by Leopold V. Richard had offended the duke by throwing down his standard from the walls at Acre, and Leopold suspected him of ordering his cousin’s murder.