The remains of the Castle can be visited
CastleHallein
Gutrat Castle
The castle ruin Gutrat, also spelled Guetrat, is located near Hallein in the federal state of Salzburg in Austria.
The castle is prominently situated on a limestone rock high above the Salzach valley. The castle complex extends in a north-south direction, following the narrow castle rock.
Gutrat Castle was built to protect the saltworks, rediscovered in the 12th century at the foot of Tuval Mountain north of Hallein, on behalf of Archbishop Adalbert III. The castellan of Hohenwerfen, Chuno von Werfen-Schnaitsee, was commissioned as the builder.
Chuno von Werfen was one of the most respected ministeriales (servants) of the Archbishop of Salzburg. Already in 1209, Chuno named himself "von Gutrat" after his new allodial castle. By this time, the castle must have been completed. The fortress of Gutrat was intended to strengthen the Archbishop's power over the Salzach valley and to definitively decide the disputed property rights with the Prince-Provostry of Berchtesgaden in favor of Salzburg.
After the saltworks ran dry, the castle quickly lost its importance. Around the year 1300, the Gutrat family fell out of favor with the Archbishop of Salzburg. The formerly allodial Gutrat Castle passed into the possession of the Archbishopric and was granted to the Gutrats as a fief. After the death of the last Gutrat in 1304, the castle was left to decay.
Complex+
Little remains today of the formerly proud complex. Nevertheless, Gutrat Castle is a highly interesting site. At the highest point of the rock, in the north, is the palas, directly adjoined by the former keep. South of the main castle are two polygonal outer baileys, which are enclosed at their southern end by a small gate tower. Access to the castle is via a narrow rock ridge, which is also protected at the southern edge of the rock, the turning point of the access path, by a small tower-like structure.
The ruin was excellently renovated in 2004; it is in private ownership. From the district of Au in Hallein, starting from the Gasthof Auwirt, one can cross the federal road and hike up the Salzquellenweg. After about an hour, one reaches the Gutrat castle ruin on a family-friendly path.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.de/thread.php?threadid=1496
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 47.7082, 13.0606