Austria

The Kufstein Fortress is the main landmark of Kufstein, a town in Tyrol, Austria. It is sometimes wrongly referred to as Geroldseck Fortress. It is on a hill commanding Kufstein proper. Kufstein Fortress is 507 metres (1,663 ft) above sea level.

The fortress is linked to the city below by the Festungsbahn, a funicular railway.

The fortress is mentioned for the first time in a document from 1205, where it is called Castrum Caofstein. At the time it was a possession of the Bavarian Duke Ludwig and the bishop of Regensburg.

In 1415 it was reinforced by Louis VII, Duke of Bavaria. It was a fiercely fought over fortress between Bavaria and the Tyrol and had a pivotal role in an armed conflict in 1336 when Margrave Charles of Moravia had to abandon his pursuit of the Bavarians when the fortress blocked his route.

In 1342 Margarete “Maultasch”, Duchess of the Tyrol, received Kufstein as a wedding present from her husband Ludwig of Brandenburg, son of Emperor Ludwig of Bavaria.

This was the first time that Kufstein became part of the Tyrol. When Margarete handed all of the Tyrol to the Habsburg Duke Rudolph IV in 1363 the Bavarians demanded that she return her original wedding gift and successfully invaded Kufstein.

In 1504 the city and the fortress were besieged and conquered by Emperor Maximilian I. Maximilian had the massive round tower built between 1518 and 1522, substantially adding to its defensibility. From 1703 to 1805 it was a Bavarian possession, returning to Austria in 1814.

The fortress acted as prison for a number of political dissidents during the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Its name is deeply embedded in Hungarian history. The list of prominent Hungarians imprisoned in the fortress includes: 

1. Ferenc Kazinczy, advocate of Hungarian language and literature, 1799–1800;
2. Countess Blanka Teleki, socialite and educator, 1853–1856;
3. Klára Leövey, teacher;
4. Sen. Miklós Wesselényi, a Hungarian nobleman 1785–1789;
5. László Szentjóbi Szabó, poet, 1795;
6. György Gaál, Protestant preacher 1850–1856;
7. Sándor Rózsa, Hungary’s “Robin Hood”, revolutionary, 1859–1865;
8. Máté Haubner, Evangelical bishop

It was also where some 100 of the Poles arrested after the 1846 Kraków Uprising were held.

The fortress now houses the City Museum of Kufstein. Part of it is also used for concerts and meetings.

Resources

Visit This Castle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Hardegg Castle was first mentioned in 1145. It was probably founded earlier by the Counts of Plain. At that time Hardegg was situated on the northern border of the March of Bohemia and had to protect it against attacks from the north.

During the 14th century, the castle was considerably enlarged under the Counts of Maidburg/Magdeburg.

At its maximum, the castle was equipped with 7 gates and 6 towers. At the end of the 15th century, the counts were so mighty that they fell under Imperial Immediacy.

Until the mid-17th century, Hardegg Castle passed through several noble families until it was acquired by the Khevenhüller-Metsch family, who were Counts and would later become Sovereign Princes. After they moved their residence from Hardegg to nearby Riegersburg Castle in 1730, the castle fell into disuse and dilapidated.

Already in 1764, the local townspeople were allowed to take stones and wood from the abandoned castle to repair their houses after a fire had devastated the town. The castle was turned into a ruin.

In 1878 Prince Johann Carl Khevenhüller-Metsch had part of the castle rebuilt and inserted a family crypt.

A very nice castle ruin although the castle looked bigger on the outside than it felt on the inside because a fair amount of rooms and areas could not be visited. But still recommended if you are in the area.

At present Hardegg Castle is closed to the public. We will watch for its reopening.

Resources

Visit This Castle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Austria

Forchtenstein Castle is a castle built in the late Middle Ages near the municipality of Forchtenstein in northern Burgenland, Austria. Forchtenstein Castle is 511 metres (1,677 ft) above sea level.

The first part of the castle with its 50-metre (160 ft) high keep was built at the beginning of the 15th century by the Lords of Mattersburg, who later named themselves Lords of Forchtenstein.

The castle features a tower, known as the ‘Black Tower’ although the black rock that originally lined the tower has since been stripped. The tower contains a 12-metre (40 ft) deep pit used as a prison cell for those condemned to death.

Really, the wife of Lettus of Forchtenstein used this with great frequency; on the return of her husband from military service, she was herself sentenced to death in the tower by her husband.

Around 1450 the Lords of Forchtenstein died off due to lack of a male heir and the castle was passed over to the House of Habsburg, which owned it for 170 years. They leased it to others, including the Counts of Weissbriach and Hardegg. During this time the building was not changed significantly.

In 1622 Nikolaus Esterházy, founder of the western Hungarian Esterházy line, received the castle from Emperor Ferdinand II, and Esterházy became a Count.

Nikolaus started to fortify the crumbling castle and refurbished it with the services of Vienna builder Simon Retacco from 1630 to 1634 and with Domenico Carlone from 1643. The construction workers were all from Italy.

This led to big orders for three masters of Kaisersteinbruch, the imperial quarry: Ambrosius Petruzzy, Pietro Maino Maderno, and Mathias Lorentisch. Kaiserstein stone was used for the main portals, fountains, cannonballs, etc. Once hewn the stone was delivered on large wagons drawn by six oxen.

In the second half of the 17th century his son Paul further extended and ornamented the castle with architect Domenico Carlone. After Paul’s death the castle’s function changed. It became a repository for weapons, archives, chronometers, machines, exotic animal preparations and other “marvels”.

The only access to the treasure vault was a secret passage leading to a door requiring two different keys used together. One key was kept by the Count and the other by his treasurer.

In the second half of the 18th century the castle was extended by master builder Ferdinand Mödlhammer. During this work the roof truss was lifted and the interior was renovated.

The treasure vault remained undiscovered and intact throughout World War II. The original glass-paned cabinets containing the collection are works of art in themselves.

The castle is still owned by the Esterházy family and, together with Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, it chronicles the history and treasures of this ancient aristocratic family.

When Austria and Hungary separated in 1921, the Esterházy family’s lands were split between the two countries. Their financial records remained at Castle Forchtenstein and the family records were taken to the Hungarian Federal Archive in Budapest.

Resources

Visit This Castle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Austria

Hohenwerfen Castle is a medieval rock castle, situated on a 623-metre (2,044 ft) precipice overlooking the Austrian market town of Werfen in the Salzach valley, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Salzburg.

The fortress is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the adjacent Tennen Mountains. Hohenwerfen is a “sister” of Hohensalzburg Fortress, both built by the Archbishops of Salzburg in the 11th century.

Resources

Visit This Castle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Pinterest

Austria

Hohensalzburg Fortress is a large medieval fortress in the city of Salzburg, Austria. It sits on the top of the Festungsbergat at an altitude of 506 m.

 It was erected at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.

The fortress is 250 m (820 ft) long and 150 m (490 ft) wide making it one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.

Resources

Visit This Castle

• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube
• Pinterest