Riegersburg (castle)
| Riegersburg | ||
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| Creation time : | First mentioned in 1138 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | Received or received substantial parts | |
| Standing position : | Barons, counts, princes | |
| Place: | Riegersburg | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 0 '17 " N , 15 ° 55' 57" E | |
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The Riegersburg is a hilltop castle in the town of the same name Riegersburg in the district of Southeast Styria in Styria .
history
The Riegersburg first appears in a document in 1138 as “Ruotkerspurch”, that is to say as a Rüdiger's castle, but the 200 m high basalt cone was settled around 6000 years ago. Even in the carantanic period (from the 7th century) there was a refuge on the castle hill, which was protected on three sides by the steepest rock walls , as can be seen from the name of the valley west of the castle and the stream flowing in it: Graztal, Grazbach : slav.gradec = small castle .
Around 1020, after the Hungarians had been pushed back behind the Lafnitz for the first time, the Palatine Aribones received large parts of eastern Styria for clearing from Emperor Heinrich II. under Konrad II the land was lost again around 1030, not until 1043 under Heinrich III. it was finally regained for the empire .
Before or around 1100 the upper fortress was probably built on the north knoll (later: Kronegg), to the northeast at the foot of the mountain the original main parish Maria Magdalena, whose rectory was used until 1979 for the later parish church of St. Martin, which was almost a kilometer away, and to the west of the Burgstock the castle sub-settlement later known as Altenmarkt, which perhaps already existed in rudiments.
The castle was owned by Hartnid von Traisen-Ort in 1142, who called himself "von Riegersburg" at the time. From him castle and rule came to his son-in-law Richer von Hengist (1130–1168), a respected ministerial of the margravial Traungau , who thus became the ancestor of the Riegersburg-Wildonier . The last two of his sons Hartnid, Herrand and Richer were the new masters at Wildon Castle from around 1174 .
In order to restrict the mighty Riegersburg-Wildonier, Margrave Otakar III. Around 1140 to 1150 a sovereign counter-fortress was built on the site of today's borderland monument and at its feet the Riegersburg market with the St. Martin's Church first mentioned in 1170. The "Niedere Feste" (later: Lichteneck) was administered by burgraves.
After the death of Leutold von Riegersburg-Wildon in 1249, the upper fortress came through his daughter Gertrud to her husband Albero V. von Kuenring-Dürnstein . In 1295, Leutold von Kuenring and the Austrian nobility rebelled against Duke Albrecht and, due to his defeat, was forced to sell his "House Rugerspurch" in 1299 to Ulrich I. von Walsee- Graz. In the following decades the people of Walsee took over the entire lordship of the castle and finally in 1320 also the lesser festivals, first as a pledge and finally as an inheritance.
In 1363 the Styrian Walseers went out and were inherited by the Upper Austrian line Walsee-Enns after they had won the ownership dispute with the Habsburgs. After 1400 the castle was temporarily in the possession of Otto von Stubenberg, but was redeemed in 1409.
In the "Walseer Feud" - Reinprecht II of Walsee-Enns fought as an ally of Duke Albrecht V against Duke Ernst - the Walsee burgrave undertook raids against Duke Ernst's territories and devastated large parts of Eastern Styria from Riegersburg in 1412. In autumn, Duke Ernst succeeded in taking the lower castle after a brief siege, whereupon the occupation of the upper castle had to surrender.
Through the intervention of Emperor Sigismund , Reinprecht got back most of his Styrian possessions, including the Riegersburg, which had been lost through the feud in 1417. As a result, around 1420 the people of Walsee had the so-called "Eselsteig" (Kroneggsteig) carved out of the west wall of the castle rock at a length of 120 meters in order to make the upper main castle independent of the old main entrance. From now on both castles remained united in terms of ownership and were never to be conquered again, neither by the Hungarians nor by the Turks .
1434 the castle of Reinprecht III. still renovated, but already pledged in 1456 by his son Wolfgang to Leutold von Stubenberg . At that time, Johann Steinpeiss the Middle was “Pfleger zu Riegersburg” and died in 1462. Leutold von Stubenberg's brother Reinprecht IV inherited the castle from Wolfgang in 1466/70, but in 1479 was forced to sell it to Reinprecht von Reichenburg.
In those same years (1469–1490) the Styrians had to go through an extremely difficult time: the plague, famine, Turkish invasions and the Hungarian war reduced the population by a quarter to a third.
In 1539, Andrä von Graben , Herr von Kornberg and Marburg, came into the possession of the Riegersburg through marriage to the Reichenburg heir-daughter Polixena, but after his death it fell back to the sovereign due to a formal error, who then loaned it to the Reichenburg. In 1571 the rulership of the castle came to Erasmus von Stadl , who significantly redesigned the high palace in the late Renaissance style. In 1618 the rule came through purchase to Georg Christoph von Ursenbeck. Among the Ursenbeck found z. B. the 20-day drinking bout, which is reminiscent of a window engraving in the knight's hall . In 1637 the lordship of the castle fell to Baron Seyfried von Wechsler after a court case, in 1638 by inheritance to his uncle Sigmund, in 1648 by inheritance to Sigmund's niece Elisabeth Katharina Wechsler, married Baroness von Galler .
This, the "Gallerin", the "bad Liesl", was one of the most colorful personalities of Styria in the 17th century. She was married three times; She kept her first husband, the President of the Court War Councilor Hans Wilhelm Freiherrn von Galler, away from co-ownership by paying out 15,000 guilders so that she could dispose of the castle and rule alone. The second, Colonel Detleff von Kapell, died in the battle of Mogersdorf in 1664. She divorced the third, Hans von Stadl (!). She lived in quarrels with a number of secular and spiritual neighbors, especially the rather secular Riegersburg pastor, Wolfgang Strobel, she resolved to be energetic and even violent. She also argued with him about the right of patronage over the vicariate parishes dependent on Riegersburg; In Paldau she once gave a sermon , referring to her right of patronage (!).
Because of the constant threat to Eastern Styria from the Turks, she had the fortifications expanded at great expense and made the castle the “strongest fortress in Christendom” (according to Field Marshal Raimondo Montecuccoli ).
The huge forecourts, the six gates and the eleven bastions with the 15 hectare enclosing three kilometer long defensive wall, behind which the population of the entire area and their cattle found refuge in times of need, were only removed after the death of Galleri († 1672) Completed in 1676 by the Counts of Purgstall, who had come to rule the castle over von Galler 's heir, Regina.
After the Riegersburg Counts of Purgstall had expired in 1817, the inheritance was divided between 17 people, including the Counts of Sauer and Lanthieri and the Stubenberger, who sold the estate to Prince Johann von Liechtenstein in a public auction in 1822 . The castle now remained in the possession of the Princely House of Liechtenstein , which saved it from impending decline after the destruction in 1945. Today it belongs to a sideline of the Liechtenstein family, who are the only noble house in Austria not affected by the Nobility Repeal Act , as they are citizens of their own monarchy, the Principality of Liechtenstein . Since 2014, Emanuel von und zu Liechtenstein and his family have been trying to preserve the castle.
Today the castle is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Styria with changing themed exhibitions (e.g. witch chase ). One of the most famous victims of the great Feldbach witch trial from 1673 to 1675 was Katharina Paldauf .
The castle complex
A steep ascent in the immediate vicinity of the Riegersburg parish church leads to the Steinkellertor, and a little later the Cilli or Burgertor. A narrow section of the path leads to the medieval horse pond, shortly afterwards the mighty Annentor and, after an ascent, the Lichteneckertor. The first four castle gates are attributed to the builder Bartholomäus Ebner and were built between 1678 and 1690.
A long, paved path leads through the free-standing pyramid gate to the high plateau with its vineyards. The so-called fore-castle , which houses the former armory and Provianthaus, is the outer moat drawn. You enter the Wenzeltor with its richly decorated portal via a wooden bridge. Statues of the Roman deities Mars and Bellona stand in the niches to the side of the gate . Also known is the “Eselsteig”, an inclined stairway over the rock that leads into the outer bailey.
In addition to the six gates, there are a total of twelve bastions: St. Regina bastion, St. Michaeli bastion, St. Xaver bastion, St. Marien bastion, Leopoldi bastion, St. Josefi bastion, St. .-Antoni-Bastei, St.-Johannis-Bastei, St.-Katharina-Bastei and three others. The borderland monument stands on a walled high plateau, from which you have a good view over the vineyards to the stronghold . The approximately 10 hectare cultivation area is cultivated by winegrowers from the region.
Kronegg Castle
The high castle of the castle complex bears the name Kronegg. It is a two- or three-story building complex that is laid out around two elongated inner courtyards. The predominant architectural style is that of the late baroque and late renaissance . A bridge spanned over the second moat and a portal lead to the first courtyard of the stronghold, which is decorated with arcades of pillars and columns. Through another portal, decorated with a coat of arms for a changer, one enters the so-called Brunnenhof, which is named after the fountain created in 1640 and decorated with a wrought-iron arbor.
There is a small chapel next to the entrance to the Kronegg Castle . Inside Kronegg, the prince's room, the bed of the famous lady of the castle, called the Gallerin, the picture room and Roman room and the Turkish room are particularly worth mentioning. The rooms include the knight's hall and the white hall, a dining room and a few staircases next to it.
White hall
The White Hall is a baroque summer dining room that was built by Italian craftsmen on behalf of the Gallerin. The extremely expensive construction was completed in 1658 - these construction costs are reminiscent of an inscription, the Gallerin, "Building is a beautiful pleasure, what it costs me, I am aware."
Raptor station
The flight demonstrations at the bird of prey station on the Riegersburg are both interesting and spectacular .
Trivia
- The GazettE's music video "Cassis" was filmed in 2005 at the Riegersburg.
- The oldest Catholic Austrian MKV connection in south-east Austria, the K.Ö.St.V. Riegersburg zu Fürstenfeld , is named after the Riegersburg.
Viticulture
Wine has been grown on an area of ten hectares within the castle walls since the Gallerin. Today these vineyards are leased to surrounding winegrowers.
Promotion opportunities
The ascent to the Riegersburg is made easier on the north side by a steep inclined elevator, but can of course also be done on foot, as was common in the past. The second variant may be a bit more strenuous and, especially in summer, sweaty, but offers a more impressive feeling for the height of the mountain and the centuries-old impregnability of the castle.
The "Eselsteig" has been closed for some time. Should it ever be released again, its use should be far less dangerous than in the past. At that time the “waste” landed from a two-seater toilet, where the “Gallerin” (in the 17th century arguable mistress of the castle) often used to chat with her guests, right at the point where this path begins.
Climbing athletes can climb the Riegersburg via the insured "Leopold-Klettersteig" in difficulty level C and reach the castle directly at the castle tavern. The via ferrata now has two extensions: the "Heinrich Klettersteig" (also difficulty level C) and the short but crisp so-called "extension" with difficulty level D. This combination of castle and via ferrata is unique in Austria.
At the foot of the Riegersburg there is a high ropes course right next to the car park as an additional attraction.
Castle rise
Annentor
Horse pond
Lichteneggertor
High castle with vineyard
Grenzlanddenkmal
Pyramid gate
Walk to the castle
Wenceslas Gate
Torrent and coat of arms above the main entrance (Wenceslas Gate, 1653)
Kronegg Castle
Drawbridge outer bailey
Departure to Eselssteig in the outer bailey
Stuff and provisions house
Castle station inclined lift
Inclined elevator valley station
literature
- Othmar Pickl : History of the castle, the parish and the Riegersburg market . Self-published by the market town of Riegersburg, Riegersburg 1987.
- Fritz Posch: The Settlement and Development of the State of Styria. In: Gerhard Pferschy (Ed.): Becoming of Styria. The time of the Traungau . Festschrift for the 800th return of the Duchy elevation (= publications of the Styrian State Archives 10 ). Publishing house Styria, Graz u. a., 1980, pp. 23-62. ISBN 3-222-11281-9 .
- Kurt Woisetschläger , Peter Krenn: Dehio Handbook - The Art Monuments of Austria: Styria (excluding Graz). Topographical inventory of monuments, ed. from the Federal Monuments Office, Department for Monument Research. Verlag Anton Schroll, Vienna 1982, pp. 402–404. ISBN 3-7031-0532-1 .
- Johann Baptist Witting : The Lower Austrian rural nobility. Text, S – Z. In: J. Siebmacher’s large and general book of arms . Volume 4. Bauer and Raspe, Nuremberg 1918, pp. 220-223 ( online ).
Web links
- Official website of the Riegersburg (operated by the Prince Liechtenstein estate administration )
- Entry via Riegersburg (Styria) to Burgen-Austria
- The Riegersburg on the website of the Riegersburg tourist office
- Entry on Riegersburg (castle) in the Austria forum
- Photos of coats of arms in an architectural context: The Riegersburg (with detailed description)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Johann Baptist Witting: The Lower Austrian rural nobility. Text, S – Z. In: J. Siebmacher's large and general book of arms. tape 4 . Bauer and Raspe, Nuremberg 1908, p. 220 .
- ↑ The history of the witch trials ( Memento of the original from May 10, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 10, 2016
- ↑ see Leopold Klettersteig (C), Riegersburg on alpenlandmagazin.at. Retrieved July 25, 2015 .
- ↑ Szépfalusi, Csaba: ferrata Guide Austria . Tyrolia, Innsbruck 2003, ISBN 3-7022-2548-X , p. 82-85 .
