Hohenwang castle ruins
| Hohenwang castle ruins | ||
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 Attempted reconstruction of the castle, as it was in the late 17th century, view from NE |
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| Creation time : | around 1160 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Langenwang | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 33 '19 " N , 15 ° 37' 14" E | |
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The Hohenwang castle ruins are located in the municipality of Langenwang , in the state of Styria , Austria.
The fortress, which basically goes back to the 12th century, is the landmark of Langenwang, is one of the most important medieval fortifications of this time and, because of its extraordinary length, also one of the largest castles in Styria. It served primarily as a regional administrative seat, which was administered by castle keepers.
It consists of the stronghold and two outbuildings that are separated from each other by ditches. Its massive decline began towards the end of the 18th century after it was badly damaged by stone theft and an earthquake. During the Second World War, other parts of the ruins were destroyed by bombs.
A part of the western core work, the shield wall of the high castle and the main gate in their enclosing walls are still preserved today. Most of the walls have been secured and renovated over the past 40 years by members of the Hohenwang Castle Association.
location
The remains of the wall stand on an approx. 100 meter high rock spur, an extension of the Sulzkogel in the Fischbacher Alps , on the south side of the Mürz valley . From here you can see the Wartbergkogel in the southwest and Mürzzuschlag in the northeast. The high forest of the Sulzkogel connects to the Felsberg in the east. In the hinterland there is the Königs- and east the Kaiserkogel to the northeast. The ruin can be reached in three ways. On them you get to a Marienkapelle, behind which the entrance to the castle is.
function
Hohenwang served as the local administrative center, the protection of the population in times of crisis, the jurisdiction, the colonization and the associated spread of Christianity in the upper Mürz Valley. A priest also resided in the castle from the 13th century.
Despite the regional importance, their masters were only allowed to exercise lower jurisdiction. Delinquents who were guilty of capital crimes had to be transferred to the Kapfenberg district court for judgment.
Due to the good visual connections to neighboring fortresses, a chalk fire post manned day and night (on Kote 1442 or Farrenboden) was set up near the castle in the 16th century to warn of Turkish invasions and provided with chalk mortar and double hook rifles.
development
In the 11th century, most of the upper Mürz Valley was still ruled by the Eppensteiners . Duke Heinrich III. von Carinthia, also an Eppensteiner, gave the area of the later Hohenwang rule in 1122 to the Styrian sovereigns. Only a few of the peasants in the Hohenwang estate are likely to have been serfs . Most of them had risen to the status of "semi-free Holden" early on. They were not allowed to leave their farms without the permission of the landlord, but since they were largely responsible for managing them, they enjoyed a high degree of personal freedom compared to the circumstances of the time.
In the 12th century, Margrave Ottokar III. Large stretches of land in the Mürz Valley as a princely fiefdom to the Stubenberger . Hohenwang then went to a close relative of the Stubenbergs, Erchinger I. von Landesere, a nobleman from the ministerial class , whose family had their actual ancestral seat at Landsee Castle in today's Burgenland. From then on, their members also called themselves Herren von Hohenwang. As owners of the cupbearer's office under the Margraves of Steyr, they were the highest-ranking aristocrats in Upper Styria. The construction of the castle was probably commissioned by Erchinger I. von Landesehre between 1122 and 1160.
It was first mentioned in a document in 1222. The national honor let the fortress be administered by burgraves (so-called castle hat ). These usually added their titular to the name Hohenwang . In 1240 the minstrel Ulrich von Liechtenstein stopped here on his tournament tour and challenged Erchinger II to a duel. They allegedly rode against each other six times, breaking their lances each time. However, no one succeeded in lifting his opponent from the saddle. In his literary work " Vrowen dienst " he referred to the castle as " hus ze Hohenwang ". In a document from 1249, a priest ( vicar ) named Heinrich is mentioned in connection with Hohenwang. Erchinger III. was mentioned as the first witness in the treaty that regulated the enfeoffment of the sons of King Rudolf I of Habsburg with the duchies of Austria and Styria in 1282 . With the death of Erchinger III. (He probably died on Hohenwang), 1286, the Landesere family died out.
In the course of the fighting against Emperor Friedrich III. King Matthias Corvinus invaded Styria in 1477 and the castle was occupied by Hungarian mercenaries until the end of the 15th century. The situation of the peasants, on the other hand, is likely to have improved significantly in the 15th century, as Hohenwang was mostly administered by officials who themselves emerged from the peasant class and had retained a certain understanding of the needs and needs of the rural population. Many farmers managed to buy themselves out during this time and thus also to acquire the right of inheritance to their farms. The farmers of Hohenwang are likely to have been largely satisfied with their lot, as they had kept quiet during the great peasant uprising of 1525. The landlords could therefore arm them heavily in the event of enemy incursions without having to fear that they would rise up against them.
In 1512 the Hohenwang dominion passed into the possession of the Scherffenberg (Schärffenberg), an old-established noble family that belongs to the Apostle family and supposedly immigrated from Franconia to southern Styria as early as 928 . In the sources a Heinrich von Scherffenberg is mentioned as bishop of Speyer around 1067. The takeover of Hohenwang by this noble family turned out to be a stroke of luck for their subjects, as the former were particularly keen not to oppress the farmers excessively with taxes and compulsory services - even in difficult times of crisis. In 1525 a major fire caused severe damage. At the beginning of October 1529, 3,000 Turkish horsemen (so-called Akinci ) broke into the Mürz Valley via the Semmering, devastating villages and farms and taking numerous prisoners who they rounded up in Krieglach . In the parish church of Krieglach there is still a plaque (so-called plague plaque) with the following inscription:
“ In the 1529 year the Türgkh came here and led 800 and several Perschaunen away. What will follow is known to God . "
Although they did not dare to attack castles and fortified cities, a patrol allegedly appeared at the gates of Hohenwang. However, it should be withdrawn soon as it had no siege artillery . The Styrian writer Peter Rosegger also mentions the siege of the castle in an article in the Graz weekly newspaper Der Dorfbote :
“ Riders are blasting back and forth, blasting against isolated farmsteads, blasting against the gorges of Hohenwang. The castle stands there on the mountain, dark and defiant. Not a window panel glitters, not a flag waves; The fortress towers quietly and lifelessly. A little heap of red coats climbs up the mountain, climbs up the age-gray wall like a cat, when suddenly the weather breaks loose. Stones are hailing, smoking streams of pitch are raining down, the curses of the valiant knights and squires thunder dull and coarse. The rushers tumble, tumble into the moat, or creak down the mountain. Oh, the old castle is not given it. They threaten with their brown, blood-crusted fists, they bar their snow-white teeth up the fortress: The moon will never fill you! And in one of the following nights the Hohenwang Castle blazed in flames; the whole wide valley was covered in red shine. "
Some of the Scherffenbergers of the 16th century were convinced Lutherans , which repeatedly led to disputes with the Cistercian abbot of Neuberg Abbey . Between 1580 and 1600, the castle chapel was therefore also open to the Protestant citizens and farmers of the area as a place of worship and meeting. Ulrich Christoph von Scherffenberg's son Maximilian, who had again converted to the Catholic faith, had to commit himself to his wife to maintain a priest for eternity, who had to read four holy masses a week in the castle chapel. From 1622 Ulrich Christoph von Scherffenberg held the office of provincial administrators , so he was also deputy to the governor and chairman of the " Landschranne ", a court that was exclusively responsible for nobles and clergymen. Although Styria was spared the destruction and horror of the Thirty Years' War, the residents of the Mürz Valley suffered massively from the numerous billeting of troops. In 1633 Mürzzuschlag was a gathering and mustering point for new recruits and the surrounding manors - including Hohenwang - had to pay for the soldiers' forage . On the occasion of the Turkish War of 1683, the main burden of the defense efforts in this region lay on Neuberg and Hohenwang. From these two rulers alone, 300 armed men were called up under the command of Baron Johann Cassinedi to man the entrenchments at the Semmering Pass . The castle itself, in which nuns from Kirchberg am Wechsel had also found refuge, was at no time seriously threatened. From the second half of the 17th century, the Scherffenbergers stayed only rarely in the castle.
On May 18, 1700, the upper floor of the chapel tower caught fire after a lightning strike. The fire was quickly extinguished by the castle residents, people from the Meierhof and the village. The restoration costs (750 guilders) were partly taken over by the landscape. Since the fortress was only inhabited by servants from 1706, its preservation was increasingly neglected. Finally - in order to avoid paying the so-called roof tax - the roofing was removed and beams and bricks were sold. In the earthquake of 1770, the walls of the castle were again severely damaged. Ten years later, the mansion was officially relocated to the valley, where the much more comfortable Neu-Hohenwang Castle had been built next to the Krottenhof from 1772. Most of the stone material for this was taken from the castle, which "... unfortunately destroyed some of the peculiarities of antiquity ..." and sealed its final decay. In order to avoid confusion, the ruin was called Alt-Hohenwang from then on. Its last known resident is said to have been a hermit (anchorite), whose task it was to warn the population of approaching storms by ringing the bell in the chapel tower. Ironically, he is said to have been struck by lightning and killed in 1774.
In the course of an attack on the railway bridge at Feistritz Castle (Krieglach) on April 1, 1945, the explosion of a bomb by the United States Air Force destroyed a large section of the southern curtain wall, which also destroyed the last remains of the castle chapel. Presumably, the pilots confused the ruins with Neu-Hohenwang Castle, which at the time was home to a unit of the Waffen-SS .
In 1961, the Hohenwang Castle Association was founded in Langenwang (at that time under the direction of Gerhard Wresounig), whose members have been responsible for the thorough and professional renovation and conservation of the existing wall fabric. In 1963, the first step was to renovate Gate 1 and remove the rubble on the north wall. Then the path from gate 3 to the castle chapel was made passable again. Gate 2 was later roofed over and the area between gates 2 and 3 cleared to secure access to the high castle. In 1969, the shield wall of the high castle was also extensively renovated. Since then, individual wall sections have been partially rebuilt and the area of the castle redesigned step by step into a park-like landscape.
Castle
It is an elongated hilltop castle with a stronghold , a lower bailey with gates and a curtain wall . It is oriented from southwest to northeast and extends over a total of 90 meters. A dungeon was not available. From the 13th to the 17th century, the Romanesque core work to the east around the was Palas , a weir gallery, a kennel , a bastion and a gatehouse with Vorwerk expanded. In a land register written in the 15th century there is a somewhat more detailed description of the interior of the castle, in which the chapel , a servants' room , some rooms, a large hall, four cellars, four grain boxes, a bath room, a kitchen and vaulted stables for a total of twelve horses is in question. The three well-secured gates, two of which have a hatch , the outwork at the moat and finally the rock that slopes very steeply to the south, west and north made storming the fortress a difficult undertaking. In addition to the engraving by Georg Matthäus Vischer, the castle is also shown on a picture of the Annunciation that Ulrich Christoph von Scherffenberg commissioned in 1631.
Neck ditch
The east side of the castle rock was secured by a neck ditch up to 25 m wide , which originally could only be passed over two drawbridges. At this point a stone arch bridge, today a brick road embankment, crossed the moat.
Vorwerk
On Georg Matthäus Vischer's quite detailed illustration - and probably also largely corresponding to the state of construction at that time - it can be seen that in or in front of the neck ditch there is a fore with a crenellated gate, which rested on two supporting arches on the north side and one from north to south extending wall with battlements and loopholes . The gate could only be passed via a drawbridge . According to the land register from the 15th century, there was also a blacksmith's workshop here. Today nothing can be seen of this fortification.
Main gate
The main gate (Gate 1) dates from the 16th and 17th centuries, is the youngest part of the existing wall in terms of architectural history and, thanks to its massive construction, is still very well preserved. Next to the passage there is a so-called manhole in the gate chamber . On the upper floor there were once two loopholes, so-called key loopholes, of which only one is left today. On the depiction of Georg Matthäus Vischer from 1681 and on the picture of the Annunciation in the parish church of Langenwang it can be seen that the gate tower - no longer in existence today - wore an onion-shaped helmet . The gate chamber has been partially rebuilt by the Hohenwang Castle Association in recent years. Its passage leads directly into the elongated kennel of the outer bailey.
Outer bastion and bastion
The approx. 60 meter long outer bailey was completed in the 17th century. On its south side there was a bastion (also known as a high garden) with a rounded south-east corner , which was partly built on heaped ground . Its wall reached to the top of the main gate. From here you could enter the gate tower. Behind (to the west) there was a stable building of which only a few remains can be seen.
On the right side of the outer bailey, a once partially covered ramp leads up to the high castle. It originally rested on four wall arches that were open to the castle side. Today only the westernmost of them is preserved.
Defense gallery
The access to the residential castle was additionally secured by a double-angled defense gallery in front of the shield wall . Only the southeast side of its walls has survived. It is pierced by three loopholes in deep niches. In the southern corner a hatch leads to the outside. The flat arched gate 2 is the access to the weir gallery, it was originally covered and also only accessible via a drawbridge. This spanned a 4 m wide and 7 m deep crevice, but was later replaced by a solid wooden bridge. The slots in the seesaw trees were walled up with bricks. It is also equipped with a manhole.
Residential castle / hall
Gate 3 is the entrance to the high castle or the hall. In the south wall a remnant of the roof beams and a gate beam hole are still visible. In 1998, during restoration work, a three-part cross, originally painted in red, was uncovered above its passage, which is supposed to symbolize the Holy Trinity .
The rulers' quarters were housed in the residential castle. It enclosed an approximately 65 m long courtyard. The upper floors of the hall probably had up to ten rooms. Only the 20 m high and 2 m thick shield wall crowned with rectangular battlements is almost intact. During sieges, it was supposed to protect this area of the fortress from the projectiles of the slingshot machines. Your masonry consists of a stone facing and a quarry stone core that is laid in horizontal layers and partially mortared. There are three large window openings just below the battlements. It was the eastern outer wall of the palace, which extended about 34 m along the northern circular wall. On its west side you can still see three ocher-colored stripes on a white background, the remains of a wall painting from House 1. At the rebuilt entrance to House 1 (south wall) a small square window has been preserved. The hall was probably covered by a sloping pent roof on the courtyard side .
Main castle
The relatively narrow, approx. 70 m long main castle in the west dates mostly from the 12th century and is the oldest part of the fortress (core work). Today it is badly damaged and the original division of its interior is therefore no longer recognizable. The residential building (house 2) was built directly onto the curtain wall and connected to the palace in the north by a crenellated wall with a walkway. Two of its pillars can still be seen today. In the northwest corner, the contours of two pinnacles that were subsequently built over can still be seen. On the outside of the west wall, two corbels of a balcony have been preserved.
Castle chapel
When the castle was built in the 12th century, a chapel in the Romanesque style was set up in the south of the main castle. The church was dedicated to the Visitation of Mary. It soon developed into a popular pilgrimage site and was therefore rebuilt and expanded several times. When part of the southern curtain wall collapsed in 1950, the polygonal choir with a 5/8 end and double leaf chapter was exposed again. Two carefully crafted Romanesque arched windows were also preserved. The chapel also had a bell tower. This was largely destroyed in 1700 by a fire - triggered by a lightning strike. Its upper part was not rebuilt afterwards. In 1776 the chapel - together with a wing of the high castle that was already in danger of collapsing - had to be demolished. The miraculous image from the late Gothic period was removed beforehand and - together with the Gothic winged altar (1509) - housed in the newly built Marienkapelle in front of the castle in 1859. The altar was later transferred to the parish church of Langenwang. A Romanesque capstone can still be seen in the courtyard. Otherwise only a double console on the south-east wall remained of the castle chapel. Their ruins have not yet been uncovered. In the area of the chapel (arcades) there is an entrance to an underground passage that is said to have ended in a cellar at the blasting fence. A remnant of the vault was uncovered during construction work on the Pöllerbauer property in the 20th century, but was filled in again due to the risk of collapse.
Water supply
The castle could be supplied with fresh water via a draw well, a cistern and a pipe.
When the draw well was struck is unknown. It is located northeast of the Marienkapelle in a wooden building. A wooden hoist stood above its 45 m deep shaft, the drive wheel of which had a diameter of 4 m and a 100 cm wide wheel rim. Inside the wheel rim, a grown man could stand upright and use his muscular strength to drive the wheel. Approx. 100 liters of water could be conveyed per stroke, i.e. 34 revolutions (duration approx. 10 minutes). The well is still used today to supply water.
A cistern is also mentioned in the land register of the 15th century. Presumably, however, their capacity was insufficient, or the quality of the water was too poor, so it was decided to build a water pipe.
The approx. 4–5 km long wooden pipeline (or pipe well) was probably built around 1630 and contained a spring at Brunnsteig / Wetterkreuz ("Nasbauer"). Here in the 1960s, forest workers found iron push-in sleeves that were used to connect the pipes. In 1994 some specimens also appeared within the ruins. At the end of the 1980s, remnants of the wooden pipes were discovered when a forest road was being built on Brunnensteig.
Tournament ground
West of the castle hill is a largely flat meadow, "Der Platz am Sprengzaun" (jumping over the fence), which served as a tournament and festival area. A place at Siglreit and Timmerteich was used for riding training for the castle crew.
Ownership and Administration
The territory of the Eppensteiner possession or the Hohenwang rule extended in the north to the line Veitschbach-Neuberg-Kapellen, in the south to Mürz, in the west to Malbaren-Masingbach-Hocheck and in the east to Mürzzuschlag. Over the centuries, several noble families took turns as lords of the castle. The Landesere were followed by the Stadecker, Fladnitzer and Montfort. The extremely enterprising Scherffenbergers ruled Hohenwang the longest. In the 17th century, they succeeded in re-establishing a largely closed territory, mainly by buying back the Stadeck possessions. The original Eppensteiner legacy by and large continued until 1848 in the lords of Neuberg, Spital and Hohenwang.
| Time position | comment |
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| 12th century | In 1160, Margrave Ottokar III gave a gift . the newly founded hospital on Semmering with three Hufen Land and a farm in Pichlwang owned by the Eppensteiners, without compensating them. This later led to long-term disputes between the Lords of Hohenwang and the monks of the hospital, which only ended in 1286. A certain Gewolf is known as the administrator of Hohenwang in 1171. |
| 13th century | For 1222 a Herwicus de Hohenwanck is named as castle keeper. After 1286 Hohenwang was considered a reverted fiefdom and returned to the sovereign. Duke Albrecht II of Austria then gave the rule to the brothers Hartnid II and Liutold II von Stadeck, as they were loyal supporters of the Duke and also the cousins of the last Landesere. |
| 14th century | Due to the endowment of the Neuberg Cistercian Abbey, which was founded in 1328, the Hohenwang domain was reduced by almost 3/4. In addition, Hohenwang lost all interest and income for these areas. The rest was administered by the burgraves on Hohenwang. One of these burgraves, appointed by the sovereign, was Ulrich the Schenk von Hohenwang, who exercised his office around 1332; a Gundakar von Polnhaim is documented as administrator for 1344. 1354 Hohenwang was by Duke Albrecht III. awarded to Ulrich II von Graben as pledge for a loan of 500 Vienna pounds. After his death in 1361 the castle was handed over to a sovereign burgrave again. In 1398 the Stadeck family died out with the death of Hans von Stadeck in the male line and Hohenwang passed to Duke Ernst the Iron . At the end of the 14th century, Rudolf the Schenk von Wolfsberg, a member of the knightly class, held the burgrave office. At the turn of the century, the once closed property of the Hohenwang rulership was already considerably fragmented, in:
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| 15th century | In 1406 Duke Leopold IV von Habsburg enfeoffed his steward Friedrich I von Fladnitz with Hohenwang. Friedrich was the leader of the Styrian Knight Association and rose to become governor. Stainwald von Fladnitz therefore administered the castle in his name until 1411. In 1434 the brothers Friedrich and Wilfing von Fladnitz as well as Hermann and Hans von Montfort shared the Hohenwang rule. The castle itself remained with the Fladnitz people. They were able to briefly expand their domain through new acquisitions, but the division of inheritance soon led to renewed fragmentation. In 1443 the Hohenwang rule consisted only of free float.
According to a land register from the 15th century, Hohenwang had the following sources of income at this time: “... a meier farm with 105 days of construction and behind it one with 8 days of work. Four meadows and the associated forest. Fishing water on the Mürz. A grain, ramming and sawmill in Langenwang. A brick cellar at 30 startin there. Vineyards in Eichberg near Schottwien, Raglitz and Erlitz. The tithe in Raboden. Subjects in Feistritzberg, Hönigsberg, Schwöbing and Wassing. The demurrage in Langenwang. Robots for grain, wood, fertilizer, hay and cabbage carrying, chopping wood, mowing, lifting hay, cutting. In the taverns, 2 starters per year can be placed in stately tithe or home-made wine, which then has to be sold there. " In 1484, Christoph and Ulrich von Fladnitz signed an inheritance contract with Friedrich, the keeper of Oberkapfenberg , on the "Gesloss Hohenwanng", which was signed by Emperor Friedrich III. has been confirmed. In 1489 Wilhelm von Fladnitz the Elder died. and bequeathed Hohenwang to his sister Elisabeth. She was married to Pernhard von Scherffenberg and the castle came into the possession of this noble family - so important for Hohenwang - in 1490, which they initially had to share with the Praxedis von Traun. Andree Kleech managed the castle for the new owners from 1496 to 1497. |
| 16th century | In 1512 the Scherffenbergers and the Trauners were also able to get the last of the Fladnitzer shares in Hohenwang. The Fladnizers withdrew into the valley, to the Krottenhof. The princely fiefdom was finally officially confirmed to the Scherrfenbergers, but only in 1525 because of legal disputes with the Fladnitzers (apparently they had the title deeds removed from the Fladnitzers' letter chamber when they took over the castle). The son of Praxedis, Christoph von Traun, sold his shares to Hans von Scherffenberg in the same year, whereby his family became sole ruler of Hohenwang until 1838. The new masters succeeded in regaining many areas of the original rule within the next 100 years. Siegmund Ludwig von Scherffenberg had to share Hohenwang with his five brothers from 1577. For this reason, the castle was temporarily inhabited by several branches of the family. By 1589, Wolf von Scherffenberg was also able to acquire the last Montforter shares in Hohenwang. Due to the inheritance law fragmentation of the family assets, however, individual offices and goods had to be sold again and again due to tax debts. |
| 17th century | In 1602 Ulrich Christoph von Scherffenberg took over the rule and set up a family fideikommiss in which Hohenwang was included. He was able to enlarge his possessions again until 1618. Among other things, he acquired the Krottenhof from Silvester Mailgraber, which was later expanded into Neu-Hohenwang Castle. In 1606 he bought an estate in the Mürz Valley from the Barons von Teufenbach. In 1628 the rule of Oberkindberg was added. His wife Elisabeth b. Countess Thurn brought the benefice of the Rabenstein rule into the marriage. A land register commissioned by Ulrich Christoph shows that the Hohenwang rulership at that time generated around 10,205 guilders annually and their total value was estimated at around 150,000 guilders. |
| 18th century | In 1700, after long disputes about inheritance, Hohenwang was awarded to Anton Felix von Scherffenberg. He returned the Krottenhof to Hohenwang, where he stayed for most of the year. In 1711 Hans Wilhelm Kundschäck acted as castle keeper on Hohenwang. He was also responsible for the control of the manorial hammer mills in the Mürz Valley, which became more and more important for the income of the Scherffenberger. After the death of Anton Felix, his wife, Franziska Eleonore, headed the Hohenwang administration. Her son Johann Leopold became the new owner of Hohenwang. With the expansion of Triesterstraße from 1723, Hohenwang was also responsible for maintaining it in its section and was allowed to collect 6 Kreuzer tolls from each loaded car from Martini (November 11) to Lichtmeß (February 2 of the following year), which covered the annual costs but could not even come close to covering. From 1755 Franz Joseph Island was administrator of the Hohenwang estate. In the same year the income of the rule amounted to up to 21,000 guilders annually. This was a double increase compared to the income that was still achieved in 1650 and without the farmers' taxes being increased. |
| 19th century | In 1803, Johann von Scherffenberg acquired the Pammer scythe hammer. In order to ensure the necessary fuel for the smelting furnaces, new forest areas were purchased. At that time, the lordship owned more than 26 km² of land. More than three quarters of these were forest land. Johann von Scherffenberg was the first in his family to be raised to the rank of count. Since he had six children entitled to inheritance, the property was again divided up after his death. The Scherffenbergs finally died out with the death of Hans Graf von Scherffenberg in 1849. The Hohenwang rule was sold to Prince Alfred von Schönburg-Hartenstein in 1838, who also owned several neighboring ironworks and mining operations. This ended the 350-year rule of the Scherffenberger over Hohenwang. After his death in 1840 the Imperial and Royal Rittmeister Christian Heinrich Gottfried Plattensteiner took over the entire property. Just five years later he sold it again to the Josef Ritter von Wachtler trade. |
| 20th century | The ruins remained in the possession of his descendants until 1961. However, when the family fortune had to be divided among 27 heirs, it was sold. The Schrack family of industrialists then acquired the ruin and the surrounding forest from the Cooperative Central Bank in Vienna. |
Note
The tombs of some Scherffenbergers and the late Gothic winged altar of the castle chapel can be viewed in the St. Andreas parish church in Langenwang. Furthermore, as part of a guided tour through the ruins, which is offered by the Hohenwang Castle Association, a scale model of the castle can be viewed, which shows the castle as it was in the 16th century. How to get there: From the parish church of Langenwang, follow Hochschloßstraße to the end. There is a driving ban directly to the castle ruins, but there is still parking at the motorway entrance. From the settlement at the edge of the forest, a marked hiking trail leads first across a meadow and continues as a forest road. After the crossroads, another forest road leads to a steep hiking trail to the ruins, the walking time is approx. 20 minutes. Access to the facility is possible all year round and free of charge. Information boards on site.
literature
- Othmar Pickl, Gerhard Wresounig: Chronicle of the market town of Langenwang , 1997.
- Othmar Pickl, Amanda Bretterhofer: History of the market town of Krieglach , self-published by the town of Krieglach, 1993.
- Kurt Woisetschläger, Peter Krenn (Ed.): Dehio Steiermark (excluding Graz) . Schroll, Vienna 1982, ISBN 3-7031-0532-1 , p. 244 .
- Robert Baravalle: Castles and palaces of Styria. An encyclopaedic collection of the Styrian fortifications and properties, which were endowed with various privileges. With 100 representations after Vischer from the "Schlösserbuch" from 1681 , Stiasny, Graz 1961.
- Herwig Ebner: Burgen und Schlösser Mürz Valley and Leoben , Birken Verlag, Vienna 1965.
- Werner Murgg: Castle ruins in Styria . With plans by Martin Aigner and archaeological articles by Manfred Lehner, Verlag Berger, Horn 2009.
- Franz Rauch: Hochschloss near Langenwang in Styria then and now , U. Moser publishing house, Graz 1928.
- Announcements of the Styrian Castle Association 1952, Volume 5, Graz 1952.
- Otto Piper: Austrian Castles , Volume 4, Verlag Friedrich Hölder, Vienna 1905.
- Georg Clam Martinic: Austrian Burgenlexikon: Castles and ruins, mansions, castles and palaces , Landesverlag, Linz 1992, ISBN 3-85214-559-7 .
- Gerhard Stenzel: From castle to castle in Austria , Verlag Kremayr & Scheriau, Vienna 1973, ISBN 3-218-00229-X .
- Journal of the historical association for Styria, self-published, Graz 1954, in it: Othmar Pickl: Die Herrschaft Hohenwang. A contribution to the history of ownership of the upper Mürz Valley, pp. 51–69
See also
Web links
- Website Burgverein Hohenwang
- Entry via Hohenwang to Burgen-Austria
- Numerous illustrations and descriptions on fortifications in the Styria.
- Detailed photos of the castle on ruine.at
- Photo archive Photo Marburg, photos of the ruins from 1944
Remarks
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1997, pp. 81-84
- ↑ Othmar Pickl 1997, p. 260
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1954, pp. 51-69
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1954, pp. 37-38
- ↑ Othmar Pickl 1997, pp. 260-262
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1993, p. 69
- ↑ Peter Rosegger : The Turks in the Mürz Valley. A picture from the horror of our ancestors. The village messenger October 14-28, 1875.
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1993, p. 85
- ↑ Othmar Pickl 1997, p. 254
- ↑ Franz Rauch: 1928, p. 14
- ↑ Franz Rauch: 1928, p. 15
- ↑ Franz Rauch: 1928, pp. 15-16.
- ↑ Franz Rauch: 1928, pp. 17-18 and text v. Findings plan on the information board on site
- ↑ Findings plan on the information board on site
- ↑ Text v. Findings plan on information board
- ↑ Information board from "Heimat told", Volume 3, Leykam Verlag 1950
- ↑ Information board from "Hochschloss once and now", p. 11
- ↑ Information board on site
- ↑ Franz Rauch: 1928, p. 4
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1954, map p. 55 and 69
- ↑ Othmar Pickl: 1954, pp. 65-69.