Alt Gutrat (Rossstall) Castle

The ruin of Alt-Gutrat (also called Rossstall) is located northwest of the path leading to the Gutrat castle ruin in the municipality of Hallein near Au.

The former castle is hidden in the forest on a rock near the Gutrat castle ruin. The rock on which it is built drops vertically on the northeastern side, but can be easily climbed from the west. To find the ruin, one must turn off the path approximately 200 m before the Gutrat castle ruin in a northwesterly direction; there is no path, but one can walk through the loose beech forest without problems.

The history of Alt-Gutrat is largely unknown. It was probably built in the 12th century on the Tuval (later: Gutratsberg) at an altitude of 622 m on a rock spur. Remains of a rectangular tower are still recognizable, of which a few square meters of ashlar masonry are preserved in the southwest corner. A curtain wall connected to the tower up to the rock face. To the west, the terrain slopes gently, where a bailey probably stood. Water sources are found here, which were important for the choice of the building site. The masonry was not used for the construction of the later Gutrat castle. Therefore, it is assumed that both castles coexisted in the 12th or 13th century.