The ruins of Falkenstein Castle (german: Burg Falkenstein) is in the Weinviertel region of

Lower Austria Lower Austria (german: Niederösterreich; Austro-Bavarian: ''Niedaöstareich'', ''Niedaestareich'') is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Since 1986, the capital of Lower Austria has been Sankt P ...

, about north of

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

near the border to

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

. The castle was used as a "Reichsfeste", for the protection of the HRE Reich with an overview over nearly all of Moravia. It was founded around 1050 by Emperor Henry III. 1106 Leopold III, Margrave of Austria purchased the castle, from then on it was owned by the rulers of Austria. 1572 Maximilian II sold Falkenstein to the Baron (later Count) of Trautson. In 1645, in the last period of the

Thirty Years' War The Thirty Years' War was one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (80 ...

Falkenstein was conquered by Swedish forces, but not destroyed. Its decay began at the end of the 17th century, when the castle was dismantled by the owners themselves in order to re-use the material. During the summer season, the inner ward is turned into an impressive site for medieval feasts and theatre plays.

Sources

* Falko Daim (ed.), 2005: ''Burgen – Weinviertel'' (pp. 96–100). Vienna: Verlag Freytag & Berndt * Ilse Schöndorfer, 1999: ''Steine und Sagen – Burgruinen in Niederösterreich'' (pp. 247–250). St.Pölten–Wien: Verlag Niederösterreichisches Pressehaus * Johannes-Wolfgang Neugebauer, Friedrich Parisch, Spiridon Verginis, 1995: ''Burgruine Falkenstein'' in: ''Fundberichte aus Österreich'', Band 34
NÖ-Burgen online: Burgruine Falkenstein

Burgen-Austria.com: Falkenstein (Weinviertel) - Burgruine
Buildings and structures completed in 1050 11th-century fortifications

Falkenstein Falkenstein or Falckenstein ("falcons' stone" in German) may refer to: Places Austria * Falkenstein, Lower Austria, a market town in the district of Mistelbach Germany * Falkenstein, Bavaria, a market town in the district of Cham * Falkenst ...

Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor {{Austria-castle-stub