Gozzoburg Castle

The so-called Gozzoburg is a high medieval city castle in Krems an der Donau in Lower Austria.

The city castle is one of the most important buildings in the early Gothic style in Lower Austria. The building consists of an eastern and a western wing, which are connected by the original building fabric.

A late Romanesque, L-shaped building from the period after 1235 forms the core structure of the Gozzoburg with a high entrance and three preserved round-arched windows. After the acquisition of this house by the Krems city judge Gozzo von Krems in the late 1240s, the core building was expanded in three phases into an impressive palace complex. The first documented mention of the name occurred in 1258, and in 1267 the newly built Katharinenkapelle (St. Catherine's Chapel) was consecrated.

In 1320, the castle became part of the Habsburg possessions, and in the 15th century, it was frequently pledged. In 1477, during a siege of the city by the troops of Matthias Corvinus, the castle was damaged and rebuilt between 1484 and 1487.

In the 19th century, the castle's tower was demolished. From 1958 to 1964, extensive renovations of the building took place. A general renovation and comprehensive revitalization of the castle were largely completed in the summer of 2007; since September 21, 2007, the city palace of citizen Gozzo has been publicly accessible for the first time through guided tours. During the revitalization, probably the best-preserved and at the same time oldest profane frescoes in Central Europe were discovered. Since 2007, work has been ongoing to research and revitalize the chapel rooms in the castle (Katharinenkapelle and small chapel).

In 2009, the revitalized Gozzoburg was awarded the Europa Nostra Award as a prime example of the preservation of cultural heritage and exemplary restoration.

The Gozzoburg houses the Provincial Conservation Office for Lower Austria of the Federal Monuments Office.