Rolling on a River
Dürnstein and Melk
Normally, the ship visited one place a day, arriving before breakfast, and departing at the end of the day. We spent very few hours traveling on the Danube in the middle of the day. Thursday, June 12, was different. We visited two places: Dürnstein in the morning and Melk Abbey in the afternoon.
Dürnstein is a small Austrian town on the Danube River. Historically, it’s known as the place where Duke Leopold V captured Richard the Lionhearted following a dispute between the two men during the Third Crusade in 1192. Also, Dürnstein Castle was almost completely destroyed by the troops of the Swedish Empire in 1645.
You can see the ruins of the Castle on the hill. Scott joined a group that hiked up to the castle. The rest of us stayed behind and explored the town on our own.
Dürnstein at a glance.
Gail, Lynn, and me with Dürnstein in the background.
The bell tower of Dürnstein Abbey.
A house with eyes?
The tree of life, a Christmas tree, the maypole?
A tavern established in 1437, still a tavern, an art gallery, or both?
A house on a hill.
A ferry from Dürnstein to its sister town across the river, Rossatz-Arnsdorf.
Images along the way from Dürnstein to Melk.
Parish church along the Danube.
Statue commerating Richard the Lionheart.
Castle ruins on a hill overlooking the Danube.
Another castle along the Danube.
We arrive at Melk Abbey.
Inside Melk Abbey courtyard; image of Prudence under the tower.
Mural of Justice under the Clock.
Image of Fortitude.
Me and the image of Temperance, of course!
Fountain in the courtyard.
View of the town of Melk from the Abbey.
Church in the Abbey.
Dan looking at some of Melk Abbey’s 100,000 volumes of books and manuscripts. This collection includes 1,800 manuscripts, 750 incunabula (books printed before 1500), and numerous other works from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The library itself consists of twelve rooms, with about 16,000 volumes in the main library room.
Melk Abbey began as a simple Benedictine Abbey. The reconstruction of Melk Abbey was initiated by Abbot Berthold Dietmayr in 1701. Certainly most of the half million tourists who visit annually count the reconstruction as a good thing. We tend to side with the monks in the early 1700s who consider it a basic betrayal of the original values of the monastery.
The positives include the volumes of works preserved, and the education provided to the children of the neighboring communities.
