| Looming up among the foothills of the Rosaliengebirge mountain range is Forchtenstein Castle. It is the only fortress in the region that was never captured during the Turkish Wars; thus the castle served as the treasury of the Esterházy princes, safeguarding all costly and precious possessions. This collection of family treasures can still be seen here today.
Forchtenstein Castle is the emblem of Burgenland. A landmark seen from afar high above the Wulkatal valley, the castle looms up on a foothill of the Rosaliengebirge mountain range. Its characteristic feature is the castle keep towering above the building complex. It is the oldest part of the castle and partly dates from the Middle Ages.
The grandees who commissioned the medieval building were the Mattersdorf Counts, who also named themselves lords of Forchtenstein after their new residence. The castle keep with the coat of arms of the Mattersdorf Counts is from this period, also the great tower. The dynasty died out in the male line around 1450, and the castle was taken over for 170 years by the Habsburgs, who leased it to the Counts of Weisspriach and Hardegg. The castle was not subject to any major alterations during this period.
A characteristic feature of Hungarian noble residences of the seventeenth century was their fortress-like appearance on the outside and baroque splendour inside. Forchtenstein Castle is the sole, completely preserved example of this type of noble residence. After Paul I Esterházy’s elevation to the dignity of imperial prince in 1687, he made the castle into his princely family seat and centre of his art collections. The remodelling of the castle by wall paintings and installation of his equestrian statue were completed by 1691 and converted the castle into a place of courtly splendour. |