Aggstein Castle Ruins or Die Burgruine Aggstein. One of my Favorite Places! - Wachau Austria - ECTV

The ruins of Aggstein Castle are the ruins of a spur castle on the right bank of the Danube in the Wachau, whose origins date back to the 12th century. The castle ruins are located about 300 metres above the right bank of the Danube on a rocky spur running in an east-west direction. It is about 150 meters long and has a rock structure at both ends. [1] The ruins are located in the municipality of Schönbühel-Aggsbach in the Lower Austrian district of Melk.
The castle was probably built at the beginning of the 12th century by Manegold III of Acchispach (Aggsbach). In 1181 it came into the possession of the Kuenringer von Aggsbach-Gansbach. During the uprising of the Kuenringers under Hadmar III and his vassals against Duke Frederick II in 1230/31, it was besieged and conquered. In the disputes over the succession of Frederick II, during the "ruleless period", the Kuenringers changed sides a few times. So it came about that Leutold I of Kuenring-Dürnstein distinguished himself in the uprising of the Austrian nobility against Duke Albrecht I. As a result, the castle was besieged and conquered again from 1295 to 1296. As the last Kuenringer, Leutold II owned the castle from 1348 to 1355. After that, it increasingly fell into disrepair.
In 1429, Duke Albrecht V withdrew the castle from the ministerial family of Maissau and enfeoffed it to his chamberlain (Georg) Jörg Scheck von Wald. He obliged him to rebuild the dilapidated castle to secure Danube shipping. In 1438, Scheck von Wald received the right to pay tolls for ships going upstream. In return, he had to ensure the maintenance of the stairways on which the ships were pulled upstream. To this end, he built a toll house on the riverbank, which today serves as a forester's lodge. Over time, he became a robber baron by robbing the ships on the Danube. This is also where its name "Schreckenwald" comes from, which is said to have been given to it by the population due to its cruelty. In 1463, the castle was besieged by another later robber baron, Georg von Stain. He defeated Scheck von Wald and took over the castle as a pledge, as the duke is said to have owed him money. In 1476 he was expelled by Ulrich Freiherr von Graveneck (Grafenegg, Grafeneck), who ruled the castle from 1476 to 1477 until he was also forced to give up the castle.
In 1477, Duke Frederick III took over the castle himself and occupied it with tenants and caretakers in order to end the looting. In 1529, the castle was burned down by a group of Ottomans during the first Turkish siege of Vienna. It was rebuilt and provided with embrasures for defense with the help of artillery.
In 1606, Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz, the widow of the last tenant, acquired the castle. After her death, the castle was severely neglected. In 1685 it passed into the possession of Count Konrad Balthasar von Starhemberg with Schönbühel Castle. Ludwig Josef Gregor von Starhemberg sold the properties to Count Franz von Beroldingen in 1819. It remained in the possession of the Beroldingers until 1930, when the Schönbühel estate together with the Aggstein ruins was sold to Count Oswald von Seilern-Aspang, whose descendants it still belongs.
Hadmar III of Kuenring is said to have considered the castle impregnable. In fact, there is no evidence that the castle was ever stormed. Presumably, other measures, such as starvation, led to the conquest of the castle.
Today, the Aggstein castle ruins are one of the most visited sights in Lower Austria with around 55,000 visitors a year. [2]
Built at the beginning of the 12th century, the castle was successfully besieged and destroyed at least twice during the time of the Kuenringers. Only a few foundations on the so-called Bürgel, a rock spur in the east, and on the Stein, a rock structure on the west side of the castle, date from this time. In 1429 it was described as dilapidated and rebuilt by Jörg Scheck von Wald. As a result, the castle was rebuilt and enlarged in the period from 1429 to 1436 by the population of the surrounding area through forced labour. Most of the surviving parts, such as the remains of the three-storey Frauenturm, the palace and the Gothic castle chapel, date back to this reconstruction. At this time, the well-known rose garden was also established.
After the Ottomans set it on fire, the castle was converted into an artillery defence and equipped with loopholes.
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İ havle been over there 20 years ago AND i stay near by castle