Overview
This cruise usually takes place between the town of Krems and the Abbey at Melk, passing through the most scenic area of the Danube Valley, a thirty-kilometre stretch known as the Wachau. Here, the river is bordered by the Bohemian Forest to the northwest and the Dunkelsteiner Wald to the southeast. In amongst the trees you will find rocky crags and ancient little towns, surrounded by vineyards and nestling under historic castle ruins. Many of these castles were built by the Habsburgs to consolidate their control over Lower Austria and ensure that it became a permanent part of the Holy Roman Empire. This secured the eastern defences of the Empire against attack from barbarians and infidels along the principal military artery leading right into the heart of Europe.
The region grew rich on the proceeds of heavy tolls on river traffic and the flourishing wine trade. In many ways the development of the Wachau mirrors that along the Rhine in Germany between Rüdeshieim and Koblenz.
The Danube
The Danube is the longest river in Europe after the Volga, running approximately 2,900 km from its source in southern Germany to the Black Sea, along the border between Romania and Ukraine. It has long been a vital route for trade, communication and military movement.
- Second-longest river in Europe (after the Volga), about 2,900 km in length
- Rises in southern Germany and flows into the Black Sea along the border between Romania and Ukraine
- Passes or skirts nine countries: Germany, Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine
- Flows through four capital cities: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade
- Historically an important communications river, encouraging the spread of ideas and vital to the development of the Austrian Empire
- Served as the main military highway between east and west:
- Eastward: used by Romans, the legendary Nibelungs, Celts, Charlemagne and the Franks, Barbarossa’s Crusaders and Napoleon
- Westward: used by Attila and the Huns, the Hungarians and the Turks, who twice advanced to Vienna and raided further upstream
- Now used extensively as a source of hydro-electric power, an important energy resource for non-nuclear Austria
- The recently opened Rhine–Main–Danube Canal links Rotterdam with the Black Sea
The Nibelungenlied
The classic German epic poem Nibelungenlied, composed at the end of the 12th century by an unknown author, is based on much earlier (6th-century) Norse sagas. The story is immensely long and complicated, involving thirty-nine sections in two parts: “The Death of Siegfried” and “The Revenge of Kriemhilde.” The epic can be seen as a romance loosely recounting the related history of the Rhine and Danube regions.
Briefly, the story goes as follows. A handsome, brave and rather naïve warrior, Siegfried, conquers the Nibelungen and captures their fabulous treasure and the magic powers that it bestows. These Nibelungen could be called dwarves: skilled craftsmen who, in the original Norse sagas, produced weapons and jewellery for the gods. They were also not above stealing to enrich their hoard.
When the god of thieves, Loki, captures the guardian of the treasure, he demands it all as ransom. The guardian attempts to conceal a ring and begs to keep it, as it would allow him to reconstitute and increase his wealth. Loki refuses and takes the ring, which henceforth brings the curse of death upon whoever owns it. Siegfried goes through the same performance with the guardian, Alberich, and receives the same curse. So Siegfried has the treasure and all the power and problems that go with it.
His friend Gunther, King of the Burgundians and brother of Kriemhilde, whom Siegfried loves, wishes to marry Brunhilde, Queen of Iceland, but is not having much success. He enlists the magical support of Siegfried, who “stands in” for Gunther and wins Brunhilde for his friend. However, when she discovers how she has been tricked, in a rage she orders Siegfried to be killed by her favourite, Hagen. This is done, and so ends the first part.
Twenty years or so pass, and Kriemhilde has been plotting vengeance. She marries Etzel (better known as Attila the Hun) and invites Gunther, Hagen and the other Burgundians to a great feast. They travel in magnificent convoy along the Rhine and then the Danube to Etzelburg in Hungary, and only too late realise that they have been drawn into a trap. A general massacre ensues between the Huns and the Burgundians. Gunther and Hagen are defeated by Dietrich von Bern (Theodoric), and Kriemhilde decapitates Hagen with Siegfried’s sword.
Principal Sights of the Wachau
There is usually an English commentary on board the boat, which explains the principal attractions of the Wachau region. However, it is a good idea to give a brief explanation of what there is to see before you get on board, to help participants remember what they are looking at, starting in Krems.
Krems
Krems is the communications hub of the Wachau and an important river port. It is the oldest town in Lower Austria and home to a wine and fruit-growing school. Handsome burgher houses line the old town, which climbs up the hill, while the newer town lies by the river. Krems is connected to the neighbouring town of Stein by a small suburb known as Und, which leads to the Austrian joke: “Krems, Und (and) Stein are three towns.”
Gottweig Abbey
Some 10 km away, atop a dark green hill, stands the Benedictine monastery of Göttweig. Around 900 years old, it features a Baroque church designed by the architect Hildebrandt.
Dürnstein
Dürnstein is a picturesque town with a 12th-century ruined castle above, and is famous for its wine. The town is protected by a triangle of walls and towers. In 1193, England’s King Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned here on his way back from the Third Crusade. Austrian Duke Leopold VI, his former comrade-in-arms, bore a grudge against Richard after he threw down the Austrian flag from the walls of a castle they shared, saying it was not fit to fly next to the standard of kings and emperors.
Richard was returning to England alone and in disguise after the Crusade ended in failure and was recognised as he passed through Austria. Leopold locked him in Dürnstein castle. When the King failed to return, his faithful minstrel Blondel wandered through Europe, singing as he went in the hope that the King would hear him. According to legend, he sang outside the castle of Dürnstein and the familiar voice of the King joined in. Blondel brought news back to England of the King’s plight and urged the raising of the hefty ransom demanded by the Austrians. After months of brutal taxation and the plundering of churches, the money was raised and Richard returned to the kingdom he scarcely knew.
Weissenkirchen
Weissenkirchen is home to the Wachau museum, where you can see examples of local costume, typified by a flared straw bonnet with a long ribbon attached, worn by the women.
Spitz
Spitz is a market town dominated by the ruined castle of Hinterhaus and hidden from the river by a curtain of fruit trees. It enjoys a magnificent location by the vine-clad Tausendheimerberg (“thousand bucket hill”), so called because in a good year it yields that amount of wine.
Willendorf
The village of Willendorf is famous for the discovery of the “Venus of Willendorf,” a carved female figure. One of the oldest works of art in existence, it dates back around 20,000 years to the Paleolithic period and is now on display in the Natural History Museum in Vienna.
Aggstein
Aggstein is a dramatic castle perched on a crag. It was once the home of the Kuenringer, robber knights who plundered boats on the river and merchant wagons on the river road. The castle was destroyed and plundered by the Turks in the 16th century.
Schanbfihel
Schanbfihel is a market town with a castle.
Melk
Melk is home to the finest Baroque abbey in all Austria, a masterpiece of the architect Jakob Prandtauer, and the usual end point of the Wachau cruise.