Kreuzenstein Castle

The origins of the medieval castle complex date back to the 12th century. Built by the Formbachers, it passed to the Counts of Wasserburg through marriage and came under Habsburg rule in 1278. In 1527, the Anabaptist preacher Balthasar Hubmaier was interrogated at the castle before his execution in Vienna in 1528. The castle remained impregnable until the Thirty Years' War but was blown up in 1645 by Swedish troops under Field Marshal Lennart Torstensson. In the 18th century, the Wilczek family acquired the ruin.