Freistadt Castle (german: Schloss Freistadt) in

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

Mühlviertel The Mühlviertel () is an Austrian region belonging to the state of Upper Austria: it is one of four "quarters" of Upper Austria, the others being Hausruckviertel, Traunviertel, and Innviertel. It is named after the three rivers ', ', and '. ...

was built, together with its

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Spanish: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries and in countries under German ...

, between 1363 and 1398, and was used to reinforce the fortifications of the town of

Freistadt Freistadt (, literally "Freetown") is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of ...

. Today the castle houses the tax office and the Mühlviertel Castle Museum.

History

The building of the castle was begun in 1363 in order to bolster the town's fortifications, Duke Rudolph IV the Founder issuing the orders for its construction. Until it was completed, all the manner of estates within the jurisdiction (''Landgericht'') of

were taxed: homes, land, fiefs and farmsteads. After Rudolph's death in 1365, his brothers,

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and

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Alber ...

, continued with the work, and in 1397/98 the new castle and its bergfried were finished. Several improvements continued until 1440 and, in the late 15th century, the height of the bergfried was raised. The ''

schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cognate ...

'' replaced the old castle in ''Salzgasse'' street, the ''Altenhof'' (today: the Salzhof). From then on the new castle was used by the territorial princes as an administrative centre for the Barony and District of Freistadt (including ''inter alia''

Leopoldschlag Leopoldschlag is a municipality in the district of Freistadt in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. It is located on the European continental divide between the watershed of the Elbe and the Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once ...

, Neumarkt,

Schenkenfelden Schenkenfelden is a municipality in the district of Urfahr-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Aus ...

and Rainbach) and as the residence of the lord's ''Pfleger''. The other district office for the Barony of Freistadt was ''Schloss Haus'' (from the 18th century). With the simultaneous expansion of the remaining fortifications, the castle strengthened the defensive capability of the town. Nevertheless, the castle was the weakest point in its lines of defence. Entry to the castle was achieved then as now in two ways. On one side, access was gained through a gateway to the main courtyard and, on the other, through another gateway at the end of the ''Schlossgasse'' leading from the '' Böhmergasse'' into the outer courtyard. The castle itself was further separated from the town by a moat and drawbridge. Even the adjoining townhouses were not allowed to have a door into the outer courtyard. The castle was also protected from the town and possible attacks from that direction. During the

Hussite The Hussites ( cs, Husité or ''Kališníci''; "Chalice People") were a Czech proto-Protestant Christian movement that followed the teachings of reformer Jan Hus, who became the best known representative of the Bohemian Reformation. The Hussit ...

Wars and the numerous border feuds of the 15th century the castle acted as a strong bulwark at the edge of the town. In the 16th century it was significantly remodelled, the plans for the rebuilding of the south wing in 1588 being drawn up by architects Antonio Cerisora, Ambrosio Solari and Mert Pogner. Around 1594 the castle acted as a refuge for the surrounding population during the Turkish Wars. Only once was the castle plundered by besieging troops, in 1626, when rioting peasants captured the town and the castle. The castle's governor and three

Capuchin monks The capuchin monkeys () are New World monkeys of the subfamily Cebinae. They are readily identified as the "organ grinder" monkey, and have been used in many movies and television shows. The range of capuchin monkeys includes some tropical forest ...

were locked in the

castle chapel Castle chapels (german: Burgkapellen) in European architecture are chapels that were built within a castle. They fulfilled the religious requirements of the castle lord and his retinue, while also sometimes serving as a burial site. Because the ...

and mistreated.

Liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

objects were stolen and all the boxes and chests broken open and looted. In the course of time there was also opposition between the town and the castle. One sticking point was a "back door" (''Hintertürl'') that led from the castle into the ''

zwinger "" () is a German word for outer ward or bailey (castle), outer bailey. It represents an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the Post-classical history, post-classical and early ...

'' and over the town

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

out of the town; something that had been planned even at the design stage. This enabled residents of the castle to leave the town incognito, but the gate also posed a security risk, which is why it had been bricked up in the 15th century. In 1584, Hans Christoph von Gera pressed for the opening of the gate by drawing attention to the lack of escape during the two great fires of 1507 and 1516. Finally the territorial prince ruled in favour of the town and that the gate should be left walled up.

Literature

* Bundesdenkmalamt Österreich (publ.): '' Dehio - Oberösterreich Mühlviertel''. Verlag Berger, Horn/Vienna, 2003, , pp. 150ff * Oskar Hille: ''Burgen und Schlösser von Oberösterreich'', Wilhelm Ennsthaler, Steyr, 2nd edn., 1992, * Joseph Jaeckel, Friedrich Kaschko: ''Kirchliche Chronik der Stadtpfarrkirche Freystadt'', 1884, p. 103 * Othmar Rappersberger: ''Freistadt - Schmuckkästchen des Mühlviertels''. Kunstverlag Hofstetter, Ried i.I., 1992 * Rudolf Scharitzer: ''Die Landesfürstliche Burg zu Freistadt''. Heimatgaue Jg. 11, pp. 64-76. 1930
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External links

* {{Coord, 48, 30, 45, N, 14, 30, 23, E, type:landmark_region:AT-4, display=title Castles in Upper Austria