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Rauheneck Castle was built in the 12th century, on cliffs of a foothill on the Lindkogels banks of the Schwechat. In its eventful history, Rauheneck Castle was destroyed several times. In 1477 Mattias Corvinus, the King of Hungary, conquered the castle. It was finally destroyed by Ottomans in 1529. In 1961, the city of Baden bought the castle hill and the ruin.
The castle ruins can be walked on and visited in peace and quiet: from their weather-beaten rooms to the chapel. The 25 m high main tower must be climbed over steep stairs. As a reward beckons the great view over the Helenental and of the opposite-facingBurg Rauhenstein. . For the light-hearted fans: According to the legend, the builder of the tower still haunts Rauheneck today - as a spirit unredeemed for all eternity.
The Rauheneck castle ruins are easy to hike - right uphill on easy forest routes. A particularly useful tip is the cultural hiking trail through the Helenental: As a detour along the way, you can tag after Rauheneck - shortly after starting off in Baden.
References:Ehrenbreitstein Fortress was built as the backbone of the regional fortification system, Festung Koblenz, by Prussia between 1817 and 1832 and guarded the middle Rhine region, an area that had been invaded by French troops repeatedly before. The fortress was never attacked.
Early fortifications at the site can be dated back to about 1000 BC. At about AD 1000 Ehrenbert erected a castle. The Archbishops of Trier expanded it with a supporting castle Burg Helferstein and guarded the Holy Tunic in it from 1657 to 1794. Successive Archbishops used the castle's strategic importance to barter between contending powers; thus in 1672 at the outset of war between France and Germany the Archbishop refused requests both from the envoys of Louis XIV and from Brandenburg's Ambassador, Christoph Caspar von Blumenthal, to permit the passage of troops across the Rhine.