The Wachau region along the Danube (Donau) river in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), namely the village of Dürnstein as well as Stift Melk have become destinations for visitors.

The ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionhearted was held in Dürnstein

Dürnstein is where Richard Löwenherz (Richard the Lionhearted) was held captive during the Crusades and you can visit the ruins atop a hill today. It is also a wonderful place to bike ride, enjoy good Austrian wine (Grüner Veltliner, for example), and excellent Austrian cuisine. Stift Melk is one of the world’s most famous and beautiful monastic sites.

In many parts of the Wachau, you can purchase local wines, Apricot (Marillen) Marmelade, and Apricot Liqueur (Marillenlikör) to take home with you.  Wieser,  which carries all these items, has stores in Bad Homburg, Dürnstein, Melk, and Weissenkirchen.

–Jonathan B. Spira is the Editor of Executive Road Warrior and Chief Analyst at Basex, a knowledge economy research firm.

The town of Melk