Pürnstein Castle, Pürnstein, Austria

Pürnstein castle, towering high above the valley, was built in the late 10th century. It was first time documented in 1170. In the 13th century, the castle became into the possession of the Prince-Bishopric of Passau. The current appearance dates mainly from the mid-15h century. The castle chapel was consecrated in 1449. Part of the ruins of the original fortifications are also preserved to this day.

A fire on September 7, 1866 destroyed the entire interior with all wooden parts and the roof of the inner castle, only the chapel was spared. The cause arson is specified. However, parts of the buildings added later, most of the 17th and 18th centuries are habitable today. The current owner and the Association for the Preservation of the castle Pürnstein take care of preservation and renovation of the castle.

The castle is located on a north- west and steep terrain. The spacious facility has five semi-circular towers. The main door leads into the outer bailey. The main castle can be reached by the upper castle gate. The main castle is a large, hexagonal residential castle. The courtyard measures 17 x 13.5 meters.

In the central Palas are the knights' hall, living room, kitchen, chapel and the castle courtyard. The palace is surrounded by a defensive wall with five towers. The thickness of the walls is up to six meters.

References:

memim.com

User Reviews

Natalia Eizenberger (11 months ago)
Unfortunately, it is not stated on the Internet that the ruins are closed. You can't visit them. We drove all the way there for free.

Богдан (3 years ago)
Unfortunately I didn't have time to take a closer look at the castle. In 5 minutes I only saw that the main entrance was blocked by a fence and everything was overgrown.

Helmuth Mayrhofer (5 years ago)
This impressive castle complex sits high above the Mühl near Neufelden in the Mühlkreis on a rocky terrain Pürnstein was first mentioned in documents in 1010. Around 1455, a large part of the old castle was demolished and a completely new fortress was built. In 1866, large parts of the complex were destroyed by fire; all wooden parts and even the roof structure of the inner castle complex were completely destroyed. Unfortunately, interested visitors are denied access to the upper castle – “Neue Burg”. A number of ruinous walls and building remains from the “lower” older castle still exist today.

Lucas Fuchs (5 years ago)
From the outside, it appears to be an unkempt, privately owned castle. I haven't been able to find out more yet. Oh yes, the owner is around 80 and lives in Munich. ?‍♂

Timur Bulekbayev (6 years ago)
Closed for restoration, some ages ago...

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Klearchos Kapoutsis

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle

The Beckov castle stands on a steep 50 m tall rock in the village Beckov. The dominance of the rock and impression of invincibility it gaves, challenged our ancestors to make use of these assets. The result is a remarkable harmony between the natural setting and architecture.

The castle first mentioned in 1200 was originally owned by the King and later, at the end of the 13th century it fell in hands of Matúš Èák. Its owners alternated - at the end of the 14th century the family of Stibor of Stiborice bought it.

The next owners, the Bánffys who adapted the Gothic castle to the Renaissance residence, improved its fortifications preventing the Turks from conquering it at the end of the 16th century. When Bánffys died out, the castle was owned by several noble families. It fell in decay after fire in 1729.

The history of the castle is the subject of different legends.

Pürnstein Castle

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Beckov Castle