Starhembergwarte, Stone observation tower near Dürnstein, Austria

The Starhembergwarte is a stone observation tower near Dürnstein that rises roughly 10.5 meters and overlooks the Danube, surrounding vineyards, and the Wachau Valley. The simple, solid structure sits on a hillside above the village and uses its position to offer wide views across the landscape.

The Krems-Stein section of the Austrian Tourist Club, founded in 1881/82, built the first tower in wood and opened it on 16 July 1882. After the wooden structure decayed within a decade, a stone tower designed by Krems city architect Josef Utz jun. was erected and opened on 15 August 1895. Vandalised and neglected after World War I, it was repaired only in 1925 and fully renovated in 1987/88.

The tower is named after Camillo Heinrich Fürst von Starhemberg, who owned the land when it was built. It was erected by the Krems-Stein section of the Österreichischer Touristenklub, founded in 1881/82, and opened on 16 July 1882; the present stone tower, by Krems city architect Josef Utz jun., followed on 15 August 1895.

Visitors reach the tower via hiking paths that start from Dürnstein's center and wind through the surrounding hills. The climb is fairly short, though conditions on the trails can vary depending on weather and season.

The first tower here was a wooden structure opened on 16 July 1882 by the Krems-Stein section of the Austrian Tourist Club, founded in 1881/82. It was already dilapidated ten years later, so a stone tower designed by Krems city architect Josef Utz jun. replaced it, opened on 15 August 1895. After the First World War it was damaged and neglected, repaired only in 1925, and fully renovated in 1987/88.