Aggstein Castle

Burgruine Aggstein
Lower Austria, Austria
Type	Castle

The ruins of Aggstein are the remnants of a castle on the right bank of the Danube in Wachau whose origins go back to the 12th century.

Location

The castle ruins are situated at about 300 meters (ca. 985 feet ) altitude above the right bank of the Danube on an outcropping that runs in an East-West direction. It is some 150 meters (ca. 460 feet) long and has a rock structure at both ends. The ruins are in the Municipality of Schönbühel-Aggsbach in the Lower Austrian Melk District.

History

The castle was probably built in the beginning of the 12th Century by Manegold III of Acchispach (Aggsbach). In 1181 it came into the possession of the Kuenringer family of Aggsbach-Gansbach. It was besieged and conquered in 1230/31 in the uprising led by Hadmar III and his vassals against Duke Friedrich II. In the disputes over the succession of Friedrich II, or „herrscherlosen Zeit“ (the "time without a ruler"), the Kuenringers switched sides a few times. Thus Leutold Kuenring out-maneuvered the Austrian nobility at their revolt against Duke Albrecht I: Subsequently, the castle was besieged and conquered in turn in 1295/96. The last Kuenringer, Leutold II, held the castle from 1348 to 1355. After that it fell into disrepair.

Duke Albrecht V in 1429 withdrew the castle from Maissauer's stewardship, and assigned it to his chamberlain, Jörg (Georg) Scheck von Wald. Albrecht commissioned him to rebuild the ruined castle to secure the passage of ships on the Danube. In 1438 Scheck von Wald received the right to tolls for ships traveling upriver. In return, he had to maintain the tow paths by which the barges were drawn upstream. In addition he built a toll house on the riverbank that now serves as a forestry house. Over time, he became a robber baron, in that he looted the ships on the Danube. Hence his epithet „Schreckenwald“ (word play on his family name, Scheck von Wald meaning "Terror Forest"), which is said to have been given to him because of his cruelty towards the population. In 1463 the castle was further besieged by another robber baron, Georg von Stain. He defeated Scheck von Wald and took over the castle as collateral, since the Duke was said to owe him money. In 1476 von Stain was expelled by Ulrich Freiherr Graveneck who ruled ithe castle from 1476-1477, until he, too, was forced to surrender the castle.

Duke Leopold III took over the castle in 1477, and occupied it with tenants and caretakers in order to stop the looting. In 1529, the castle was burned down by a group of Turks at the first Turkish siege of Vienna. Again it was rebuilt and provisioned with gunports for artillery defense.

In 1606 Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz, the widow of the last tenant, acquired the castle. After her death, the castle was seriously neglected. In 1685 it was deeded to Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, along with Schloss Schönbühel. Ludwig Josef Gregor von Starhemberg sold the possessions to Count Franz von Beroldingen in 1819. It remained in von Beroldingen's possession until 1930 -- until the Schönbühel estate, along with the Aggstein ruins, was sold to Count Oswald von Seilern Aspang.

It is said that Hadmar III had considered the castle impregnable. As a matter of fact, there is no evidence that the castle was ever stormed by direct force. Only other measures, such as starvation from siege, would lead to the conquest of the Castle.

Today, the Aggstein ruins, with about 55,000 visitors annually, is one of the most-visited tourist attractions of Lower Austria.

See also

• List of castles in Austria

References

This article was initially translated from German wikipedia