Senftenberg Castle

The Senftenberg castle ruin is located on a hill in the market town of Senftenberg in northern Lower Austria in the district of Krems-Land. The Burgruinenverein Senftenberg, which has leased the ruin for 100 years, has set itself the goal of renovating the castle ruin in recent years. A continuous road and a parking lot from the village to the ruin, which can be visited all year round, have made the ascent easier.

The castle and the family were first mentioned in a document dated April 26, 1197, in which a Rudegerus de Senftenberc was named as one of the witnesses. The builders of the initially planned hilltop castle were the high nobility of Lengenbach, who had also built and occupied several castles in Rehberg. However, they passed them on to their relatives, who then called themselves after Senftenberg and Minnenbach. In the 13th century, the castle was owned by the Zebringers, and in the 14th and 15th centuries, it belonged to the Wallseers. Between 1407 and 1409, the castle was partially destroyed during the guardianship feuds, but was rebuilt afterwards. At the time of the first Ottoman siege of Vienna, the castle was a refuge for the population. It is also documented that around 1520, highwaymen regularly stayed in the castle. During the Peasant Wars, towards the end of the 16th century, attempts were often made to storm the castle. But it was not until 1645, during the Thirty Years' War, that it was captured and destroyed by Swedish troops under the command of General Torstenson and subsequently fell into disrepair. Three gate systems, the square keep, a shield wall, and a tower are still preserved. Particularly striking are the shield wall, which is rather unusual for Austrian castles, and the tower, which has a rectangular base, an oval middle section, and a hexagonal shape in its last quarter.