We’ve written about Austria’s best castles before. Still, with so many candidates for inclusion, it’s important to update recommended ones.
Here are six more castles across Austria that you may not have heard of, but are well and truly worth your time.
Burg Clam
Klam, Upper Austria
Imagine owning a castle for half a millennium. The Perger family have done that since the sixteenth century.
Their ancestor, Christoph Perger, purchased Burg Clam in the sixteenth century, which existed since the twelfth century.
Burg Clam, Entstehung: 1100,
Oberösterreich, Austria 🇦🇹 pic.twitter.com/mvFNCX2vLE— 𝖂𝖎𝖊𝖓𝖊𝖗𝖇𝖑𝖚𝖙 (@Wienerblut1683) July 31, 2023
With such a continuous history – very few wars, sieges or upheavals reached the castle – the castle is extremely well-preserved and absolutely stuffed full of art, weapons and other decorations stretching over the centuries.
While the castle is very much still in private hands, there’s an excellent museum, a brewery and even guest rooms if you want to nap like a noble.
Burg Hohenwerfen
Werfen, Salzburg
If you’re wondering why Burg Hohenwerfen may seem a little familiar, that’s because it’s been featured widely in film, TV and even video games.
Most recently, it featured in the Amazon series ‘The Man In The High Castle’ as Hitler’s lair, and was the setting for a level in the video game ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops III’.
It’s a director’s dream, mostly because of the way it crowns a ridge in the Salzach valley, imposing and solid.
The castle was originally built by the Archbishop of Salzburg, Gebhard, to defend his lands in the 11th century.
Burg Hohenwerfen castle 🏰🇩🇪🦅🔥 pic.twitter.com/hU9uQ69G2V
— 🤘🏻Kärl🤘🏻 (@groovesvillewkd) January 17, 2024
It served subsequent bishops for eight hundred years before it passed through the hands of a couple of Bavarian nobles who restored parts of the ageing fortress.
Finally, it was taken over by the state of Salzburg following the Second World War.
In addition to the many restored parts of the castle, the museum explores its history with changing exhibitions.
There are also regular mediaeval fairs and falconry displays for those who enjoy their history in a more tangible form.
Burg Hochosterwitz
St. Georgen am Längsee, Carinthia
This castle has such a good location that people have been using it as a fortified position since the Bronze Age.
Today’s Burg Hochosterwitz began construction in the ninth century and was used as a line of defence from Ottoman invasion throughout the 15th century onwards.
Considering its position high on a 175m dolomite rock, it’s easy to see why it never fell to a siege.
Burg Hochosterwitz, Austria pic.twitter.com/FfBDlsEBq4
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The Khevenhüller family have owned the castle since the sixteenth century and have turned the castle into a major tourist attraction in the region.
When visiting the castle, take the funicular up the rock for a spectacular view, before checking out the castle’s fourteen massive gates, the armoury, the castle church and the restaurant serving local dishes.
Burg Mauterndorf
Mauterndorf, Salzburg
For those who like hands-on history, Burg Mauterndorf is the place to visit.
Much like Burg Hohenwerfen, Burg Mauterndorf was a castle built by the archbishops of Salzburg in the 11the century – this one to defend a vital trade route and, more importantly, collect taxes.
The castle briefly gained notoriety as the place where Nazi leader Hermann Göring spent much of his childhood. In fact, his relatives owned it right up until the 1960s.
#castle Mauterndorf in Austria. Burg. Hrad. #castillo. #kasteel.: #castle… https://t.co/uxvpOWXFjy #Schloss pic.twitter.com/8FIjDg48J1
— Lady of the Castles (@KasteelVrouwtje) June 23, 2016
Now the castle, in addition to hosting the Lungau Landscape Museum, has opened several rooms as an ‘adventure castle’, that introduces young people to life in the Middle Ages via displays, interactive stations and hands-on activities.
Should you visit, look for the private rooms of Leonhart von Kreutscach, a 15th-century archbishop. His distinctive coat of arms featuring a beetroot has a rather amusing story behind it. No spoilers.
Burg Rappottenstein
Rapottenstein, Lower Austria
If you’re looking for the stereotypical mediaeval castle, perfectly preserved, this one is it.
Built to protect the region from Bohemian invasions in the 12th century, the castle has only ever been owned by a handful of families and was never conquered, meaning that it’s a great example of how a castle in the High Middle Ages may have appeared – no imagination required.
Burg Rappottenstein in Austria pic.twitter.com/7ciwx53Pde
— Greg Bruhl (@GregBruhl3) May 21, 2023
So well-preserved is the castle, that a Pro Sieben reality series about life in the mediaeval period, ‘The Castle: Prominent in Chainmail’, was filmed there, as well as several other Austrian miniseries dealing with the era.
In addition to guided tours, you can also holiday in the castle.
The premises are also home to the Kinderburg Rappottenstein, an initiative that allows children and families who are ill or grieving to holiday at no cost.
Riegersburg
Riegersburg, Styria
Another massive 12th-century fortress built to resist invading forces such as the Hungarians or the Ottomans, the Riegersburg really came into its own in the 16th century, when it was redesigned to match the tastes of the Renaissance.
From that time on, the only battles it ever took part in were of a legal nature, so it’s in great condition.
Visitors to the castle today can learn about its most famous inhabitant, the Baroness von Galler, who married three times and fiercely defended her right to rule her own castle and lands – scandalous behaviour at the time.
Riegersburg, Austria. #somethingbeautiful pic.twitter.com/DUtTsWYyFD
— astro doris (@astro_doris) June 14, 2020
The castle’s museum also has an exhibit dedicated to Katharina Paldauf, a servant of the Baroness who was ultimately executed for witchcraft in the 17th century.
If that’s not your speed, there’s a host of other attractions on offer, from falconry displays to the ability to climb the rock on which the castle sits.
How did we do? Which of Austria’s many castles would you include on a future list? Tell us in the comments!
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