Heidenreichstein Castle

Heidenreichstein is a Wasserburg - a castle whose defence is water rather than height - built from the twelfth century on marshy ground in the flat northern Waldviertel, where there were no hills to use. It sits in a moat fed by the surrounding wetland with four round corner towers, thick curtain walls and a drawbridge, and it has never been captured in some eight hundred years, partly because the approach across soft ground defeated siege engines. The Kinsky family have held it since 1810 and still own it. Inside, the rooms are shown by guided tour with medieval kitchens, the great hall, armour and the well; the fabric is unusually unaltered because the castle was never rebuilt in a later style, only maintained. Winter freezes the moat solid.

What you actually see

• A castle standing in water - a moated fortress on flat marshy ground.
• Four round corner towers - the curtain and towers essentially unaltered.
• Never captured - eight hundred years without a successful siege.
• Medieval interiors - kitchens, hall and well shown on the tour route.

When to go

May to October; closed over winter. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Guided tours only, at set times, in German. Privately owned with parts closed. The northern Waldviertel is remote and needs a car. The interior is cold even in summer.

Nearby

Gmünd and the Blockheide are south-west; the Czech border is north.