Rappottenstein Castle

Rappottenstein was begun around 1150 on a granite outcrop in the southern Waldviertel and was never captured - it was besieged and it held, which is why the defensive arrangement survives so completely: an attacker had to pass seven successive gates through a series of enclosed courtyards, each covered from above and each turning so that a ram could not be run straight at the next. The Romanesque keep and hall remain, with Gothic and Renaissance additions built around them rather than replacing them, so the growth of the castle is legible in the fabric. It has been in the Abensperg-Traun family since the seventeenth century and is still privately owned, shown by guided tour in season with the courtyards, hall, chapel and kitchen on the route.

What you actually see

• Seven gates in sequence - the defensive route an attacker had to fight through.
• An uncaptured castle - never taken, so the medieval arrangement survives.
• A Romanesque core - keep and hall with later work built around, not over.
• Enclosed courtyards - each covered from above and turned against a ram.

When to go

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

Honest expectations

Guided tours only, at set times, mainly in German. Privately owned with areas closed. The Waldviertel location needs a car. Steps and uneven cobbles throughout.

Nearby

Zwettl Abbey is north-east; Ottenstein reservoir is east.