Pürnstein Castle

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Pürnstein Castle
Pürnstein Castle (2013)

Pürnstein Castle (2013)

Creation time : 11th century
Castle type : Rock castle
Conservation status: largely preserved
Place: Neufelden
Geographical location 48 ° 30 '7 "  N , 14 ° 0' 45"  E Coordinates: 48 ° 30 '7 "  N , 14 ° 0' 45"  E
Height: 530  m above sea level A.
Pürnstein Castle (Upper Austria)
Pürnstein Castle

The Burg Pürnstein is one of the best preserved fortifications in Upper Austria . It is located in the Mühlviertel near Neufelden high above the Great Mühl .

history

In 1010, a fortification is mentioned for the first time as an episcopal castle of the Passau people on the site. The first documented owner was Alram de birchenstaine in 1170, a ministerial of the Blankenbergers . In the 13th century, the castle passed from the Rosenbergs to the Passau Monastery in 1231 . The bishops had the castle administered by burgraves , but often had to pledge it due to financial difficulties.

From 1309 to 1311 Jakob de Strachner was named as a fief. In 1337 Hans von Kapellen sold the castle to Dietrich von Harrach . In 1344 the castle went to Ulrich III. from Tannberg . Around 1402 the castle was a fiefdom of Passau and between 1437 and 1451 the Passau caretaker Erhard Marschalk lived there.

In 1455 at the latest, the Starhembergers acquired the castle complex and expanded it as the Upper or New Castle that still exists today . A large part of the old castle complex was demolished and a completely new fortress was built from a single cast, the last castle or the first palace. The castle chapel was consecrated on July 20, 1449. Parts of the ruins of the original fortification have also been preserved to this day. In 1493 the Passau canon Balthasar von Starhemberg bequeathed the castle and rule of Pürnstein to his cousin Gregor von Starhemberg. In 1526 Pürnstein was a refuge from the Turks before it was sold to Lienhard von Harrach in 1572. In 1611 Karl Jörger bought the castle, in 1621 Emperor Ferdinand II donated part of the castle to Count Leonhand von Harrach after the Jörger was expropriated. However, the bishop of Passau Leopold Wilhelm of Austria reclaimed the castle, as it was a Passau fief . In 1660 the castle was pledged to the secretary of the Passau bishop. In 1681 the castle was triggered by Johann Maximilian Steiner von Plainfelden. In 1774, under Cardinal Firmian von Passau, an extension was built and the castle gate was renewed.

Pürnstein Castle after an engraving by Georg Matthäus Vischer from 1674

In 1782 Pürnstein came to Austria through a treaty, at the end of 1802 the Diocese of Passau lost its secular possessions, including Pürnstein. In the 19th century the ownership changed frequently, from 1813 the castle was owned by Michael Planck von Planckburg, from 1818 it was owned by Brother Franz, from 1828 Johann Freiherr von Bartenstein , after which the industrialist Carl Christian Müller was the owner. A fire on September 7, 1866 destroyed the entire interior with all wooden parts and the roof structure of the inner castle complex, only the chapel was spared. The cause is given as arson. Parts of the buildings that were added later, mostly from the 17th and 18th centuries, are still habitable today.

In 1883 Carl Müller gave the castle to his daughter Ida. Between 1880 and 1958 Pürnstein was owned by Margarete Reichner, after which Karl Reichner (great-grandson of Gustav Müller) was the owner. The castle is threatened with decay and a thorough restoration began in 1958. The current owner and the Association for the Preservation of Pürnstein Castle take care of the maintenance and renovation of the castle complex.

  • Pürnstein Castle

  • Pürnstein Castle

  • Pürnstein Castle: Lower access gate

  • Pürnstein Castle: Access

  • Pürnstein Castle: Upper castle with tower

construction

Epitaphs of the owners of Pürnstein at the Catholic branch church St. Anna in quarry

The rock castle lies on a terrain that slopes steeply to the north and west. The spacious complex has five semicircular towers. The main gate leads to the outer bailey . The main castle can be reached through the upper castle gate. The main castle is a large, hexagonal residential castle. The courtyard measures 17 × 13.5 meters.

In the central palace there are the knights' hall , living room, kitchen, chapel and the castle courtyard. The hall is surrounded by a defensive wall with five towers. The thickness of the walls is up to six meters.

In Steinbruch , a district of Neufelden, on the outer wall of the branch church St. Anna the epitaphs of several castle owners from Pürnstein (Marga Reichner, Gustav Adolf Müller, Weissbach family).

literature

  • Norbert Grabherr : Castles and palaces in Upper Austria. A guide for castle hikers and friends of home. 3. Edition. Oberösterreichischer Landesverlag, Linz 1976, ISBN 3-85214-157-5 .
  • Oskar Hille: Castles and palaces of Upper Austria . 2nd Edition. Wilhelm Ennsthaler, Steyr 1992, ISBN 3-85068-323-0 .

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