Burgruine Aggstein

The Burgruine Aggstein ("castle ruins of Aggstein") are the remnants of a castle on the right bank of the Danube in Wachau, Austria. The castle dates back to the 12th century.

Location
The castle ruins are situated at about 300 m above the right bank of the Danube on an east–west aligned outcrop. It is some 150 m long and has a rock structure at both ends. The ruins are in the Municipality of Schönbühel-Aggsbach in the Melk District of Lower Austria.

History
The castle was probably built in the beginning of the 12th century by Manegold III of Acchispach (Aggsbach). In 1181 it came into the possession of the Kuenringer family of Aggsbach-Gansbach. It was besieged and conquered in 1230/31 in the uprising led by Hadmar III and his vassals against Duke Friedrich II. In the disputes over the succession of Friedrich II, or herrscherlosen Zeit (the "time without a ruler"), the Kuenringers switched sides a few times. Thus Leutold Kuenring outmaneuvered the Austrian nobility at their revolt against Duke Albrecht I: subsequently, the castle was besieged and conquered in turn in 1295/96. The last Kuenringer, Leutold II, held the castle from 1348 to 1355. After that it fell into disrepair.

Duke Albrecht V in 1429 withdrew the castle from Maissauer's stewardship, and assigned it to his chamberlain, Jörg (Georg) Scheck von Wald. Albrecht commissioned him to rebuild the ruined castle to secure the passage of ships on the Danube. In 1438 Scheck von Wald received the right to tolls for ships traveling upriver. In return, he had to maintain the towpaths by which the barges were drawn upstream. In addition he built a toll house on the riverbank that now serves as a forestry house. Over time, he became a robber baron, in that he looted the ships on the Danube. Hence his epithet "Schreckenwald" (wordplay on his family name, Scheck von Wald, meaning "Terror Forest"), which is said to have been given to him because of his cruelty towards the population. In 1463 the castle was further besieged by another robber baron, Georg von Stain. He defeated Scheck von Wald and took over the castle as collateral, since the Duke was said to owe him money. In 1476 von Stain was expelled by Ulrich Freiherr Graveneck who ruled the castle from 1476–77, until he, too, was forced to surrender the castle.

Duke Leopold III took over the castle in 1477, and occupied it with tenants and caretakers in order to stop the looting. In 1529, the castle was burned down by a group of Turks at the first Turkish siege of Vienna. Again it was rebuilt and provisioned with gunports for artillery defense.

In 1606 Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz, the widow of the last tenant, acquired the castle. After her death, the castle was seriously neglected. In 1685 it was deeded to Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg, along with Schloss Schönbühel. Ludwig Josef Gregor von Starhemberg sold the properties to Count Franz von Beroldingen in 1819. It remained in von Beroldingen's possession until 1930—until the Schönbühel estate, along with the Aggstein ruins, was sold to Count Oswald von Seilern Aspang.

It is said that Hadmar III had considered the castle impregnable. As a matter of fact, there is no evidence that the castle was ever stormed by direct force. Only other measures, such as starvation from siege, would lead to the conquest of the castle.

Today, the Aggstein ruins, with about 55,000 visitors annually, is one of the most-visited tourist attractions of Lower Austria.

Construction history
In the early 12th century, the time of the Kuenringers, the castle was besieged and destroyed at least twice. Only parts of the foundation on the so-called Bürgel (small castle) on the western outcropping, and on Stein, a rock structure on the east side, originate from this time.

In 1429 Jörg Scheck von Wald had it razed and rebuilt. Consequently, from 1429 to 1436 the local people provided the labor putting the castle up again and enlarging it. Most of the parts that are still there, such as the remnants of the three-storey women's tower, the palace and the gothic chapel, go back to this reconstruction. The famous rose garden was also set up at this time.

After the Ottomans burned it down, the castle was redesigned as an artillery defense and equipped with gunports.

From 1606, under Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz, the castle was renovated and a Renaissance-style pulpit was installed in the middle castle. After her death there was no-one to stop its decline, and stones and timber were taken and used to erect a Servite Order convent on nearby Maria Langegg.

Under the Beroldigers the first safety measures to preserve the ruins were carried out. These were completed under Oswald von Seilern.

From 2003 to 2004 the Burgruine Aggstein Beautification project was set up with funding from the federal state of Lower Austria and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) totaling €49,630.00. Through this project defective masonry was repaired; sewers, water supply and utilities were put in working order; the entrance area was reshaped and a new banquet hall was designed.

Hadmar and the Iron Chain
Hadmar III von Kuenring is alleged to have captured ships traveling downriver with an iron chain stretched across the Danube. This became too much for Duke Friedrich, who decided to storm the castle. But the castle was known to be able to resist any direct assault, so he resorted to more devious methods.

There was a merchant from Vienna by the name of Rüdiger whom Hadmar had attacked too many times. Friedrich despatched Rüdiger to Regensburg, where he outfitted a sturdy ship. Loaded with valuable cargo above and with heavily armed soldiers below, the ship traveled back down the Danube. As it passed Schönbühel on its way to Aggstein, a ship that looked to be carrying a rich load, it was hailed and detained. The precious cargo had lured Hadmar himself to the ship. As he boarded the ship, he was overpowered by the soldiers. Just then the ship hove to and cruised towards Vienna where the Duke was waiting. The leaderless castle was taken immediately. The Duke granted Hadmar his life and liberty on the condition that he returned all the stolen goods and atoned for the injuries he had inflicted.

A few years later in a small village on the Upper Danube while on a pilgrimage to Passau he is said to have died.

Miscellaneous
As part of a series of postage stamps featuring the landscapes of Austria, on November 30, 1973 the Austrian Postal Service issued a 5-Schilling definitive stamp on this motif.