Burg Forchenstein

13 August 2010

Friday as we headed back to Vienna from the Alps, we took advantage of our bus and stopped at another Esterhazy castle and a Liechtenstein castle. As stated by Beller in his Concise History of Austria, during the Habsburg rule "military and political success was accompanied by an economic expansion which favored the largest landholders"(75). Thus, the Esterhazy fortress was another building illustrating the prominence of a Hungarian noble family.

The castle is called Burg Forchenstein, used by the Esterhazy family as a treasury and arsenal since the Turks failed to capture it in their sieges and wars. Furthermore, the Turks never actually entered the region of this castle, making this castle one of the only castles not disturbed by the Turkish invasions. The medieval castle was originally built by the Mattersdorf Counts, but around 1450 the Habsburgs obtained the castle. In 1622 Nikolaus Esterhazy was given the castle by Emperor Ferdinand II as a reward for a military victory, giving Nikolaus both lordship of the town and the land itself. The castle was rebuilt into a fortress, with a moat and tall walls, looming over the the land and able to see enemies from afar. Paul, Nikolaus's son, expanded the fortress, and embellished its interiors and ceilings with frescos, creating a aura of power and might from within. Thus the military facade of the fortress gave way to baroque frescos, courtyards, and paintings. Upon the death of Paul, the castle was no longer used as a fortress, but, as previously stated, as a treasury and arsenal.

Our tour began in the baroque courtyard, just inside the walls. The archway leading into the courtyard is painted with frescos of leading Roman Emperors, including Nero and Caesar; the baroque colors, however faded, still seem to radiate from the deep reds, yellows, and blues used as dye. However, once inside the courtyard, the surrounding walls are painted with brilliant frescos of the emperors of the Holy Roman Empire, many of those being from the Habsburg dynasty. Throughout the archway's and courtyard's frescos, the designs surrounding the Roman and Holy Roman Emperors include classical motifs and ancient symbols, including a bronze alligator which came from Egypt in 1704 and is said to be the 'defender' of the castle.

After we entered the castle, we were led around to see the various rooms, most involving the artillery and weapons used to defend themselves from the Turks. Many of the rooms also had paintings of the Esterhazy family and of nobles associated with military importance. There was a Prussian tent captured in war made entirely out of heavy silk, rifles and war guns captured from both the Prussians and the French. We were able to see the glass grenades used in war (one of the first versions of the modern grenade), the old map used for battles, and the various accessories employed during executions and public punishments (the chair for the guilty, the sword for beheading, the wooden neck and arm holders, and prices for beheading, etc). The punishment and execution instruments were some of the more interesting artifacts we saw, especially since I took Crime and Punishment as an upper division history course this past Spring, and execution rites and practices were discussed extensively.

The next rooms also contained grenade bags, muskets, holsters, artillery wagons, wooden saddles, flags with crests indicating the rider's military leader, and swords. The enormity of the arsenal collection that we were able to see and that has been recovered gives one a glimpse into the grandeur and wealth of the Esterhazy family, and how their wealth allowed them to ineract with both the Habsburgs, and the Roman Catholic Church (the two sources of power throughout Austria's history). The last rooms were the kitchen and the dining room - interesting to see, allowing one to see what life was like rather than providing deep historical meanings. Our last stop was at the well, dug by Turkish and Spanish prisoners of war - it is one of the deepest man made wells, and was propelled purely by man power.

After our tour at the castle, we headed home along the Panoramic Highway - through one of Austria's most dense wine regions, with vineyards on either side. On this highway we stopped briefly at Burg Liechtenstein, built during the mid 12th century by the Liechtenstein family - a large landholding family in lower Austria under the Habsburg rule. The castle was then destroyed by the Turks in 1529 and 1683 but was rebuilt and restored. Unfortunately, it is undergoing reconstruction and was only partially open to the public.

In all, it was a great break from Vienna, but the city is so beautiful it is hard not to miss it.