Heidenreichstein Castle, Heidenreichstein, Austria

The colossal Heidenreichstein castle situated in the moorlands to the northwest of the Waldviertel is the largest and best preserved medieval water castle in Lower Austria. The oldest parts of the castle are dated back to the 12th century. It has never been in enemy hands since its construction. The walls of the four wings, the three corner turrets and the keep are up to four metres thick. A guided tour through the three-storey living apartments with spiral staircase and arcades discloses highly remarkable interior fittings including Gothic furniture, articles of daily life and portrait paintings.

User Reviews

Pavlo Burchenko (2 years ago)
Nice place, interesting guide infos (please count on German only, since English is very limited), 1 hour would be enough to see all.

Marta Domagała (2 years ago)
A small castle, fairy-tale like, but nothing Disney-ish. It's very authentic - looking ad definitely worth a visit.

Lukas Klecka (3 years ago)
Nice castle. Guided tours only in German, but they have paper with basic info in Czech/English. Very nice place which is worth a visit.

Filip Pýcha (3 years ago)
Mysterius castle, preserved and nicely decorated.

Gabor Østerreicher (3 years ago)
stunning water castle, dating back to the 12th century.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Miroslav Vajdić

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Medvedgrad is a medieval fortified town located on the south slopes of Medvednica mountain, approximately halfway from the Croatian capital Zagreb to the mountain top Sljeme. For defensive purposes it was built on a hill, Mali Plazur, that is a spur of the main ridge of the mountain that overlooks the city. On a clear day the castle can be seen from far away, especially the high main tower. Below the main tower of the castle is Oltar Domovine (Altar of the homeland) which is dedicated to Croatian soldiers killed in the Croatian War of Independence.

In 1242, Mongols invaded Zagreb. The city was destroyed and burned to the ground. This prompted the building of Medvedgrad. Encouraged by Pope Innocent IV, Philip Türje, bishop of Zagreb, built the fortress between 1249 and 1254. It was later owned by bans of Slavonia. Notable Croatian and Hungarian poet and ban of Slavonia Janus Pannonius (Ivan Česmički) died in the Medvedgrad castle on March 27, 1472.

The last Medvedgrad owners and inhabitants was the Gregorijanec family, who gained possession of Medvedgrad in 1562. In 1574, the walls of Medvedgrad were reinforced, but after the 1590 Neulengbach earthquake, the fortress was heavily damaged and ultimately abandoned. It remained in ruins until the late 20th century, when it was partly restored and now offers a panoramic view of the city from an altitude of over 500 meters.

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