Top 5 Castles around Martinsberg

The cannon roundabout of Pöggstall Castle was built around 1530 as an outlying defensive structure and served to defend the castle. The round fortress tower, with its mighty walls and loopholes, was part of the former moated castle complex. Today, the roundabout is considered one of the most impressive late medieval defensive structures in Lower Austria.

A fascinating castle with an exhibition included in the Lower Austria Card. Food and drinks are available.

The castle is a very beautiful photo subject, there is a lot to discover here.

Rest in a pub or visit an exhibition!

Around the middle of the 13th century, the Lords of Werd-Capellen lived here in a relatively modestly sized castle. Due to the involvement of the castle lords in the Kuenringer noble revolt against Duke Albrecht I, the Mollenburg was destroyed, but was soon rebuilt. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1303. In 1307 the rule went to a Lord von Streitwiesen. In 1486 it was sold by the Ebersdorfers to Kaspar von Rogendorf, the owner of the Pöggstall estate. He expanded the castle. In the 16th century the princely fief became his own property. However, after the escape of the bankrupt Christoph Freiherr von Rogendorf, it was confiscated in 1546. As a result, the Geyers of Osterburg partially converted the castle into a Renaissance castle. After various changes of ownership, the rule passed to Emperor Ferdinand I in 1839. After renovation in 1844, the Mollenburg was reduced to ruin in 1860 by the administrator Johann Niedermayer for tax reasons (roof tax). The roof structure was removed, devastated and the usable parts were sold. In 1920 the Habsburg property became part of the war victims' fund. Confiscated by the Soviets in 1945, the Mollenburg was transferred to the administration of the Austrian Federal Forests in 1956. The art historian, novelist and politician Jörg Mauthe acquired the ruins for 220,000 schillings in 1972 and restored them, partly by himself and with the help of his sons. Individual buildings in the outer bailey were made habitable again. The Mollenburg is still privately owned by the Mauthe family today; Jörg Mauthe's urn is kept in the tower of the old castle.

The first castle on the hill on the left bank of the Weitenbach consisted of a square residential tower built in 1140, just over 8 meters long on a side, with four residential floors and a fifth fortified upper floor. At the foot of the small mountain hill was the free-standing, ashlar-walled Romanesque chapel of St. Pancras. In terms of its basic structure, the castle of the Lords of "Stritwisen", first mentioned in 1144, corresponded to the ancestral home of a then wealthy and respected ministerial family. The Streitwieser belonged to one of the most respected noble families in early Austria, related to a family that was one of the Babenbergs' closest entourage . One of them jousted with Ulrich von Liechtenstein in Vienna in 1227, another was in the court of the last Babenberg woman, Queen Margarethe, and stood at her deathbed at Krumau Castle. The Streitwieser's rule, to which they later acquired that of the neighboring Mollenburgers, originally lay with the Weiten market in the territory of the county of Weitenegg-Persenbieg. It was only in the 13th century that people in the Weitental felt they belonged to Babenberg Austria. After the Streitwieser people died out in the 14th century, their property fell into many hands. The castle fell into disrepair under the Sinzendorfers, who united it with the Pöggstall rule. The castle ruins have been owned by the federal government since 1972 to build and maintain an Austrian youth castle and have been partially restored. More about the story: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jugendburg_Streitwiesen

The massive building, located in the center of the market town of Pöggstall, dates back to the 13th century. It was expanded under Kaspar von Rogendorf at the end of the 15th century. The castle belonged to the powerful Maissauers for a long time. From 1795 to 1919 it was owned by the family fund, which had been set up to provide the family members of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Joseph II with part of the assets of Emperor Franz I. The nearby castles of Persenbeug, Artstetten, Leiben and Luberegg formed the so-called "Habsburg Land". In 1919 the fund was expropriated in favor of the Republic of Austria and the property was transferred to the War Victims' Fund. In 1986 it was purchased by the municipality of Pöggstall and is used as a museum and cultural venue. https://www.waldviertel.at/kultur-schloss-poeggstall

Unfortunately, this school in the castle no longer exists