- "Dusterstadt was chosen to hold you not because of its aesthetics, not because of its geographic location, but because it can not be escaped from."
- ―Otto Richter[src]
Dusterstadt was a medieval Bavarian castle on the Danube River used as a maximum security prison during the Great War.
History[]
In 1916, after being captured by German forces during World War I, Indiana Jones appropriated the identity of deceased French lieutenant Pierre Blanc as officers traditionally received better treatment from their captors. Jones was incarcerated at Dusterstadt following his failed breakout from a German prison camp when Blanc's records revealed a pattern of escape attempts.[2]
Otto Richter welcomed Dusterstadt's newest inmate.
After a failed escape attempt from Dusterstadt itself, during which Russian prisoners of war Leonid and Yuri were killed, Jones finally managed to get free with the help of fellow inmate Charles de Gaulle. De Gaulle was recaptured but Jones proved that, despite commander Otto Richter's assertions otherwise, Dusterstadt was not inescapable.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
Dusterstadt (literally meaning "grim town") is a fictionalization of the historical Ingolstadt fortress on the Danube River. Used as a prison camp for uprising officers during World War I, it was where the real Charles de Gaulle was imprisoned after several escape attempts. Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide uses Ingolstadt in reference to the events there in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles episode "Germany, Mid-August 1916",[3] as does the story synopsis of the abandoned "Berlin, Late August 1916" episode set directly after Indiana Jones' escape.[4]
The establishing shot of Dusterstadt – where a boat takes Indy to the prison – is Orava Castle in Slovakia. Most scenes take place at the Pernštejn Castle in Nedvědice, Czech Republic.
Appearances[]
- The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles – "Germany, Mid-August 1916" → Trenches of Hell
- Prisoner of War
- The Mata Hari Affair (Mentioned only)