Freistadt Castle () in

Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, and Salzburg (state), Salzbur ...

Mühlviertel The Mühlviertel () is an Austrian region belonging to the state of Upper Austria: it is one of four "quarters" of Upper Austria, the others being Hausruckviertel, Traunviertel, and Innviertel. It is named after the three rivers ', ', and '. ...

was built, together with its

bergfried ''Bergfried'' (plural: ''bergfriede''; English: ''belfry''; French: ''tour-beffroi''; Italian: ''torrione''; Castilian: ''torre del homenaje'') is a tall tower that is typically found in castles of the Middle Ages in German-speaking countries an ...

, between 1363 and 1398, and was used to reinforce the fortifications of the town of

Freistadt Freistadt (, ) is a small Austrian town in the state of Upper Austria in the region Mühlviertel. With a population of approximately 7,500 residents, it is a trade centre for local villages. Freistadt is the economic centre of a district of the sa ...

. Today the castle houses the tax office and the Mühlviertel Castle Museum.

History

The building of the castle was begun in 1363 in order to bolster the town's fortifications, Duke Rudolph IV the Founder issuing the orders for its construction. Until it was completed, all the manner of estates within the jurisdiction (''Landgericht'') of

were taxed: homes, land, fiefs and farmsteads. After Rudolph's death in 1365, his brothers,

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and

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, continued with the work, and in 1397/98 the new castle and its bergfried were finished. Several improvements continued until 1440 and, in the late 15th century, the height of the bergfried was raised. The ''

schloss ''Schloss'' (; pl. ''Schlösser''), formerly written ''Schloß'', is the German term for a building similar to a château, palace, or manor house. Related terms appear in several Germanic languages. In the Scandinavian languages, the cogn ...

'' replaced the old castle in ''Salzgasse'' street, the ''Altenhof'' (today: the Salzhof). From then on the new castle was used by the territorial princes as an administrative centre for the Barony and District of Freistadt (including ''inter alia'' Leopoldschlag, Neumarkt,

Schenkenfelden Schenkenfelden is a municipality in the district of Urfahr-Umgebung in the Austrian state of Upper Austria Upper Austria ( ; ; ) is one of the nine States of Austria, states of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and th ...

and Rainbach) and as the residence of the lord's ''Pfleger''. The other district office for the Barony of Freistadt was ''Schloss Haus'' (from the 18th century). With the simultaneous expansion of the remaining fortifications, the castle strengthened the defensive capability of the town. Nevertheless, the castle was the weakest point in its lines of defence. Entry to the castle was achieved then as now in two ways. On one side, access was gained through a gateway to the main courtyard and, on the other, through another gateway at the end of the ''Schlossgasse'' leading from the '' Böhmergasse'' into the outer courtyard. The castle itself was further separated from the town by a moat and drawbridge. Even the adjoining townhouses were not allowed to have a door into the outer

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary a ...

. The castle was also protected from the town and possible attacks from that direction. During the

Hussite file:Hussitenkriege.tif, upright=1.2, Battle between Hussites (left) and Crusades#Campaigns against heretics and schismatics, Catholic crusaders in the 15th century file:The Bohemian Realm during the Hussite Wars.png, upright=1.2, The Lands of the ...

Wars and the numerous border feuds of the 15th century the castle acted as a strong bulwark at the edge of the town. In the 16th century it was significantly remodelled, the plans for the rebuilding of the south wing in 1588 being drawn up by architects Antonio Cerisora, Ambrosio Solari and Mert Pogner. Around 1594 the castle acted as a refuge for the surrounding population during the

Turkish Wars A series of military conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and various European states took place from the Late Middle Ages up through the early 20th century. The earliest conflicts began during the Byzantine–Ottoman wars, waged in Anatolia in ...

. Only once was the castle plundered by besieging troops, in 1626, when rioting peasants captured the town and the castle. The castle's governor and three Capuchin monks were locked in the

castle chapel Castle chapels () in European architecture are chapels that were built within a castle. They fulfilled the religious requirements of the castle lord and his retinue, while also sometimes serving as a burial site. Because the construction of suc ...

and mistreated.

Liturgical Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and participation in the sacred through activities reflecting praise, thanksgiving, remembra ...

objects were stolen and all the boxes and chests broken open and looted. In the course of time there was also opposition between the town and the castle. One sticking point was a "back door" (''Hintertürl'') that led from the castle into the ''

zwinger A () is an open kill zone area between two defensive walls that is used for defensive purposes. s were built in the medieval and early modern periods to improve the defence of castles and town walls. The term is usually left untranslated, ...

'' and over the town

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

out of the town; something that had been planned even at the design stage. This enabled residents of the castle to leave the town incognito, but the gate also posed a security risk, which is why it had been bricked up in the 15th century. In 1584,

Hans Christoph von Gera Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

pressed for the opening of the gate by drawing attention to the lack of escape during the two great fires of 1507 and 1516. Finally the territorial prince ruled in favour of the town and that the gate should be left walled up.

Literature

* Bundesdenkmalamt Österreich (publ.): '' Dehio - Oberösterreich Mühlviertel''. Verlag Berger, Horn/Vienna, 2003, , pp. 150ff * Oskar Hille: ''Burgen und Schlösser von Oberösterreich'', Wilhelm Ennsthaler, Steyr, 2nd edn., 1992, * Joseph Jaeckel, Friedrich Kaschko: ''Kirchliche Chronik der Stadtpfarrkirche Freystadt'', 1884, p. 103 * Othmar Rappersberger: ''Freistadt - Schmuckkästchen des Mühlviertels''. Kunstverlag Hofstetter, Ried i.I., 1992 * Rudolf Scharitzer: ''Die Landesfürstliche Burg zu Freistadt''. Heimatgaue Jg. 11, pp. 64-76. 1930
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External links

* {{Coord, 48, 30, 45, N, 14, 30, 23, E, type:landmark_region:AT-4, display=title Castles in Upper Austria