An Unexpected Visit to Liechtenstein Castle
Dear Hive Friends!
I had not planned to visit this Romanesque castle. I discovered by chance that it was close to the Seegrotte, which I had visited in Maria Enzersdorf, Lower Austria. Curious to see what else the area had to offer, I decided to explore a little further.
While walking around the surroundings, I met a local lady who was out hiking. I asked her about the castle, and she told me it was only about a 12-minute walk from where we were. What a pleasant surprise! We continued our walk together, and she kindly showed me the way to the castle. We eventually parted at the back of the castle, as she was heading home.
A Castle with a Fascinating History
Liechtenstein Castle is a medieval fortress built around 1130 by the House of Liechtenstein. Perched on pale limestone rock at the edge of the Vienna Woods (Wienerwald), the castle occupies a remarkable position overlooking the surrounding landscape.
Over the centuries, the castle changed hands and endured numerous hardships. During the Second Ottoman Siege of Vienna in 1683, it suffered extensive destruction and was left in ruins. In 1808, the Princes of Liechtenstein reacquired the ruins and began restoring the castle, incorporating the Neo-Romanesque style that gives it much of its present appearance.
Unfortunately, the castle suffered further damage during the Second World War and the subsequent Soviet occupation. Its interior furnishings and archives were looted, leaving behind another difficult chapter in its long history. Restoration work continued in the years following the war, helping to preserve this historic landmark.
Due to safety concerns, the castle was closed to the public between 2007 and 2009. Following further renovation, it reopened in the spring of 2010, allowing visitors to once again admire its historic architecture.
A Castle Visit That Will Have to Wait
Sadly, the castle was closed when I arrived. Access is limited to scheduled visiting hours, so I could only admire it from the outside. Although I would have loved to explore its interior, I was happy that I had at least discovered this fascinating place and learned a little about its history.
By then, I had worked up quite an appetite! I decided to take a break at a nearby local restaurant, where I enjoyed a hearty meal of Gulasch with dumplings. After a satisfying lunch, it was time to head back to Vienna.
Although my visit to the castle did not turn out exactly as I had hoped, it was still a lovely little adventure. Perhaps one day, I will return when the castle is open to visitors and finally get the chance to explore its interior. Until then, I have another travel memory to add to my collection!
Zusammenfassung auf Deutsch
Ein ungeplanter Besuch auf Burg Liechtenstein
Eigentlich hatte ich keinen Besuch der Burg Liechtenstein geplant. Zufällig entdeckte ich, dass sie nicht weit von der Seegrotte in Maria Enzersdorf in Niederösterreich entfernt liegt. Eine freundliche Einheimische, die gerade wandern war, zeigte mir den Weg zur Burg, die nur etwa zwölf Gehminuten entfernt war.
Die mittelalterliche Burg wurde um 1130 von der Familie Liechtenstein erbaut. Im Laufe der Jahrhunderte wurde sie mehrfach beschädigt und zerstört, bevor sie 1808 von den Fürsten von Liechtenstein zurückgekauft und im neoromanischen Stil wiederhergestellt wurde.
Leider war die Burg bei meinem Besuch geschlossen, da Besichtigungen nur zu bestimmten Zeiten möglich sind. So konnte ich sie lediglich von außen bewundern. Anschließend gönnte ich mir in einem nahe gelegenen Restaurant ein herzhaftes Mittagessen mit Gulasch und Knödeln, bevor ich mich auf den Rückweg nach Wien machte.
Auch wenn ich die Burg nicht von innen besichtigen konnte, war es ein schöner, ungeplanter Ausflug. Manchmal sind es gerade die spontanen Entdeckungen, die uns besondere Erinnerungen schenken. Vielleicht habe ich bei einem nächsten Besuch mehr Glück!
References:
https://oesterreichwiki.org/wiki/Burg_Liechtenstein
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burg_Liechtenstein
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meeting that local hiker sounds like such a lucky coincidence for finding the way. at least the gulasch and dumplings made up for the castle being closed when you got there
Indeed, I was lucky to have met her along the way. Although there were signboards along the path to th3e castle, but the walk was great because I got some great tips about the area from a local. Yes, the gulash was very good, I enjoyed every bit of it. Thanks for dropping by.
Hiya, @gabrielatravels here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Travel Digest #3085.
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Hello to the @worldmappin team, thank you so much for curating my post as well as for the support!
Castles are always impressive when we think about the tools that had at their disposal.
Humans are amazing and inspiring.
I agree with you. Humans in those days were great thinkers; just imagine building so many castles without modern technologies. I am thinking of the pyramids in Egypt and Stonehenge. There are a lot of castles in Austria to explore and some of them are just near Vienna. Thanks for your comment, see you around.
I remember reading about people in the past having the same mental facilities as people of today.
Think about the inventions of Leonardo da Vinci. They just didn't have the technology that we have.
If the electricity went off tomorrow we would be back to basics pretty soon.
Yes, and AI has taken over the world these days. A great invention by humans... if only it were put to good use and solved hunger and poverty.
Servus @mers ,
Danke für den tollen post,
wollte auch schon lange einen post über einer Burg hier bei uns machen,
gehört nachwievor der Fam. Liechtenstein seit 1822,
ob es sich um die gleiche Fam. handelt keine Ahnung könnte aber durchaus sein....
lg 🤠
Servus Karl, Danke sehr! Die Familie Liechtenstein gehört mehrere Burgen an, glaube ich, auch in Deutschland. Das Land und die Familie sind sehr reich. Eine meiner Freundinnen war Haushaltangestellte in Wien bis zu ihrer Pensionierung und sagte, dass jedes Familienmitglied sehr nett ist.
Unexpected discoveries make a trip more memorable especially when you meet kind people along the way.😊
That´s true, and I was totally excited to have met the nice lady to show me the way to the castle. Thanks for visiting!
You are welcome 😊