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.

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Schremser Straße 1, Heidenreichstein, Austria
See all sites in Heidenreichstein

Details

Founded: 12th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Austria

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


Historic Centre of Telc (43 km)
Telc Castle (43 km)
Altenburg Abbey (42,5 km)
Zwettl Abbey (28,1 km)
Göttweig Abbey (66,1 km)
Dürnstein Castle Ruins (59,6 km)
Piarist church (61,3 km)
Raabs Castle (27 km)
Steiner Tor (61,4 km)

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.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.