The remains of the castle can be visited
CastleHerzogsdorf
Rotenfels Castle
The castle ruin Rotenfels (also known as Alt-Waxenberg) is located near Herzogsdorf in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. The structure can be reached by following the path leading into the forest straight ahead from the Buchholz 45 farm for about 700 m. The castle was built around 1136, abandoned after about 160 years, and fell into disrepair over time.
The castle name Rotenfels is a locational name. The phrase was formed from Middle High German rôt (= red) and Middle High German vels (= rock). Through the dative place naming common in the Middle Ages, the contracted "(zum) roten-Fels" emerged, which could indicate at least one rock of reddish (e.g., iron-containing) stone.
The castle also represented the highest point of the Waxenberg dominion, hence the name Hochhaus, by which it is commonly known among the population today.
1146 Rotenvels 1206 Rotinvels 1250 Rotenvels 1499 Rotenfelß
It is not known who built the castle. The first mention was around 1136, when a Colo de Rotenvelse was mentioned as the owner. The Rotenfels were ministeriales of the Wilhering-Wachsenberger family and owned the castle for about 160 years. After Colo, Marquart (1160), a Leutold (1210), Hermann (1237), Wernhart (1250), Konrad (1297), who was also abbot in Wilhering, and a Wernhart (1309 - 1328) are named as owners. Around 1356, Alber was mentioned as the last owner of the complex. After his death, the castle fell into disrepair.
Around 1291, Waxenberg Castle was built only five kilometers away by the Wilheringers. Around 1291, the regional court of Rotenfels probably also moved to Waxenberg. Some historians believe that Rotenfels was the predecessor of Waxenberg as a seat of power, hence the name Alt-Waxenberg. Others believe the castle served as a flank protection for Waxenberg, similar to St. Veit.
Construction+
The castle was situated on a rocky ridge that slopes steeply to the north and south. The castle was only accessible from the east side. The rocky ridge is now called Buch- or Burgholz. On the north side, the wall drops steeply; one might get the impression that this wall was scarped.
Today, only masonry remains, with a thickness of about 2.5 m. The core consists of cast masonry, and on the outside there are carefully hewn ashlar stones, which were connected with a very hard mortar. At its highest point, the wall today reaches more than eight meters. The complex was about 86 meters long and up to eight meters wide. The wall is of Romanesque origin. On the way to the ruin, massive granite blocks can be found.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rotenfels-1.jpg
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: 48.4478, 14.1692