Greifenstein Castle (Lower Austria)

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Greifenstein Castle
Southwest view of Greifenstein Castle

Southwest view of Greifenstein Castle

Creation time : around 1000 to 1050
Castle type : Hilltop castle
Conservation status: Preserved essential parts
Place: Greifenstein
Geographical location 48 ° 20 '51.2 "  N , 16 ° 14' 54"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 20 '51.2 "  N , 16 ° 14' 54"  E
Greifenstein Castle (Lower Austria)
Greifenstein Castle

The Castle Greifenstein is located on the Danube above the town district Greifenstein the town of Sankt Andrä-Wördern in Lower Austria , northwest of Vienna .

location

The Höhenburg towers high on a rock of the Vienna Woods above the steep southern bank of the Danube . Together with Kreuzenstein Castle, which is roughly opposite, it was used to monitor the Danube Bend at the Vienna Gate .

Today you can see the new Greifenstein power station and the peaks of the Vienna Woods to the south. An even better panoramic view is offered by the observation tower on the Temple Mount (403 m), 2 km away .

history

The castle was probably built in the 11th century by the landlord, the diocese of Passau . It is possible, however, that an observation tower stood on this striking point in the area as early as Roman times.

The castle was an important link in the defense system on the Danube. Their chalk fire station made it possible to exchange messages with both Kreuzenstein and Leopoldsberg.

It is first mentioned in a document in 1135. The then named Dietrich von Greifenstein was probably a servant of the Passau bishops . In 1247, Bishop Rüdiger von Bergheim had the facility greatly expanded. In 1365 the castle was besieged by the citizens of Klosterneuburg for unknown reasons . It is certain that Greifenstein belonged to the Hungarian sphere of influence from 1485 to 1490. When the Turks succeeded in taking the practically undefended castle in 1529, the valuable archive was destroyed. It was then renewed, but no longer had any military significance.

From about 1600, the castle was used mainly as a prison of the Church's court where clergy and lay their terms of imprisonment in the tower dungeon had to atone. It was inhabited until around 1770, after which it was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Until 1803 it belonged to the Bishops of Passau, in that year it was put up for public auction by Emperor Joseph II as part of the Josephinism of secularization in Austria .

Johann I von Liechtenstein acquired the old castle in 1807 and had the castle complex restored by 1818, incorporating older components inside and out in the Romantic style. Prince Alois II von Lichtenstein had works of art and weapons from other Liechtenstein castles such as Seebenstein brought to Greifenstein. At the end of the 19th century the castle fell into disrepair and was sold by the Liechtenstein family to the industrialist Hugo Kostenitz in 1918.

In 1931 the banker and owner of the palaces of Tulbing , Plankenberg and Feistritz am Wechsel , Rittmeister Maximilian Mautner, bought Greifenstein. In 1933 he gave the castle to his second wife.

In 1960 Greifenstein was sold to the restaurateur and hotelier Dr. Johannes Huebner. He restored the castle; He had a restaurant and several showrooms set up with historical, military and handicraft exhibits. 

On September 16, 2006, a major fire caused by a cable fire destroyed the restaurant and the ceiling of the great hall . Since then, access to the castle has been blocked.

In May 2010, the castle in need of renovation was offered for sale for 3.5 million euros. In June 2017 the castle was sold to the logistics company Ernst Strobl for 2.5 million euros.

investment

The mighty square keep and the core of the palas originate from the high medieval complex of the 12th century. The castle chapel was mentioned as early as the 14th century.

In the Renaissance period , the medieval complex was expanded and, among other things, the Vorwerk was built halfway up the slope.

Its current appearance goes back to the renovations carried out by Johann I von Liechtenstein at the beginning of the 19th century. The structure and character of the high medieval complex was preserved. The redesign made Greifenstein a "knight's castle" in the romantic style based on the medieval ideas of the 19th century. Among other things, the gate with machicolation , a gallery and a viewing terrace were created.

The gothic-inspired interior was done around 1850 with art objects and weapons, mostly from Seebenstein Castle.

In 1931 Maximilian Mautner, the then owner of the castle, initiated an extensive renovation, including two historically imitated windows - a two-part Gothic and a three-part Romanesque - built into the outer wall.

literature

Movie

  • Old castles and their new masters in Lower Austria. Documentary, Austria, 2018, 24 Min, written and directed by. Barbara Baldauf, Camera: Ossi Denkmayr, Helmut Muttenthaler Production: ORF , Row: Experience Austria , first broadcast May 6, 2018 in ORF 2 , Summary of ORF, online- Video.

Web links

Commons : Burg Greifenstein  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b c Gerhard Stenzel : Austria's castles . Kremayr & Scheriau , 1995, ISBN 978-3-218-00493-0 .
  2. a b c d e f g Greifenstein. In: burgen-austria.com. September 22, 2008, accessed February 16, 2015 .
  3. a b c d e f g h Hermann Truschnig: Greifenstein Castle. In: Hermann Truschnig. June 1, 2012, accessed February 16, 2015 .
  4. Greifenstein Castle in the Vienna Woods for sale: Who pays 3.5 million? In: burgerbe.de , April 1, 2013, accessed on September 15, 2018.
  5. Greifenstein Castle is for sale. In: orf.at , January 5, 2016, accessed on January 6, 2016.
  6. Greifenstein Castle has a new owner. In: Der Standard , June 22, 2017.