Rabensburg Castle

The origins of Rabensburg date back to 1045 when the area belonged to the Hungarian March, and the then-wooden castle came into the possession of Burkhard, Burgrave of Regensburg. Around 1200, it was rebuilt in stone. The complex was first documented in 1255 in connection with Hertwicus de Rebensburch, a follower of the Kuenringer family. In 1294, Otto II von Hagenberg acquired the lordship, which was conquered by King John of Bohemia in 1328. During the 14th century, the castle came into the possession of the Zelkinger family, who sold it to Johann II von Liechtenstein in 1385. Under Georg Hartmann von Liechtenstein, the castle underwent renovations between 1540 and 1550. Johann Septimus von Liechtenstein had the facades adorned with paintings and sgraffiti towards the end of the 16th century. Maximilian von Liechtenstein, brother of the founder of the princely House of Liechtenstein, made the castle his main residence and expanded it into a palace with cannon-equipped bastions.