Riegersburg

The Riegersburg is a hilltop castle in the town of the same name, Riegersburg. The Riegersburg first appears in a document in 1138 as “Ruotkerspurch”, that is, as a castle of a Rüdiger, but the 100 m high basalt cone was settled around 6000 years ago.

A steep ascent in the immediate vicinity of the Riegersburger parish church leads to the Steinkellertor, and a little later the Cilli or Burgertor. A narrow section of the path leads to the medieval horse pond, shortly afterwards the mighty Annentor and, after an ascent, the Lichteneckertor. The first four castle gates are attributed to the builder Bartholomäus Ebner and were built between 1678 and 1690.

A long paved path leads through the free-standing pyramid gate to the high plateau with its vineyards. The outer moat is drawn around the so-called outer bailey, which houses the former armory and provisions house. You enter the Wenzeltor with its richly decorated portal via a wooden bridge. Statues of the Roman deities Mars and Bellona are in the niches to the side of the gate. Also known is the “Eselsteig”, a sloping staircase over the rock that leads into the outer bailey.

If the ascent is too difficult for you, you can also use an inclined elevator.

In addition to the six gates, there are a total of twelve bastions: St. Regina bastion, St. Michaeli bastion, St. Xaver bastion, St. Marien bastion, Leopoldi bastion, St. Josefi bastion, St. .-Antoni-Bastei, St.-Johannis-Bastei, St.-Katharina-Bastei and three others. The borderland monument stands on a walled, small high plateau, from which one has a good view over the vineyards to the stronghold. The approximately 10 hectare cultivation area is cultivated by winegrowers from the region.

The high castle of the castle complex bears the name Kronegg. It is a two- or three-story building complex that is laid out around two elongated inner courtyards. The predominant architectural style is that of the late baroque and late renaissance. A bridge that spans the second moat and a portal lead to the first courtyard of the stronghold, which is decorated with arcades of pillars and columns. Through another portal, decorated with a coat of arms for a changer, one enters the so-called Brunnenhof, which is named after the fountain created in 1640 and decorated with a wrought-iron arbor.

There is a small chapel next to the entrance to the Kronegg Castle. In the interior of Kronegg, the prince’s room, the bed of the famous lady of the castle, called the Gallerin, the picture room and Roman room and the Turkish room are particularly worth mentioning. The rooms include the knight’s hall and the white hall, a dining room and a few staircases next to it.