Burg Kreuzenstein, Austria
published on Mar 05, 20
graphite pencils, paper Burg Kreuzenstein Castle - an ancient castle located in Austria, on a hill (266 meters) above the fair community Leobendorf between the cities of Kornoiburg and Stockerau in the district of Lower Austria in the district of Lower Austria a few kilometers away. Graphenstein Castle is located on the opposite bank of the Danube. The castle was laid in the XII century by the rulers of Fornbach County. As a dowry he passed to the counts of Wasserberg, and after the death of Przemysl Otakar II - to the Habsburgs (1278). The detained figure of the Reformation Balthazar Hubmeyer was transported to the castle for questioning in July 1527 and burned down later in Vienna. During the Thirty Years' War, he was captured by the Swedes, Field Marshal Lennart Torstensson, and at their departure in 1645, blown up in 3-4 places. In the eighteenth century, the ruins of the castle were bought by Count Wilczek, who obtained considerable wealth from the sale of Silesian coal. Johann Nepomuk Wilczek started the reconstruction of the castle in 1874, which in many respects (in plan) did not correspond to the old castle. The architect of the construction was Carl Gangolf Kaiser († 1895), who rebuilt the Gardes, Liechtenstein, Sternberg castles. There was a family vault under the chapel where Johann was buried. Until 1906, the castle was decorated with murals, decor, collections of weapons, furniture, items of the Middle Ages, brought by Wilczek from all over Europe. After 30 years of perestroika, on June 6, 1906, the castle was opened in the presence of Emperor William II. The library, and also partly the archive, were burned in 1915 as a result of lightning strikes. The castle was damaged and robbed in 1945 by the Red Army. Kreuzstein is now a popular tourist destination near Vienna. Since June 2013, the castle has been the residence of the Knights of the Order of Saint Lazarus.
