Page 156 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2016 - Austria

154  a ustria region b y region

s Burg
Forchtenstein
Road map G3. £ Mattersburg. @
n Hauptstrasse 31 (02626) 631 23.
Castle: Tel (02626) 81212. Open Apr–
Oct: 10am–6pm daily; Nov–Mar:
groups by appointment. 8
∑ esterhazy.at
Perched unassailably on the
rocky slopes of Rosaliengebirge
stands Forchtenstein Castle,
built in the 14th century by the
Mattersdorfer family. Bought
and extended by the Esterházys,
it now houses a private collec­
tion of arms, one of the most The birthplace of Franz Liszt in Raiding near Forchtenstein
magnificent and extensive in g Bruck an
Austria. The castle armoury still owns the castle today.
exhibits arms and war trophies In summer the castle hosts der Leitha
dating from the 16th to 19th a popular festival.
centuries as well as memorabilia Road map G3. * 7,500. £ @
n Hauptplatz 16 (02162) 622 21.
and pictures from the wars Environs: In the village of
with Turkey, France and Prussia. Raiding, 24 km (15 miles) to This small town, situated 30 km
Forchtenstein Castle was one the south of Forchtenstein, is a (19 miles) east of Vienna, was
of the fortresses that defended lovely cottage, the birthplace established as a Babenberg
the Habsburg state during the of the composer Franz Liszt (the fortress in 1230, and formed
Turkish raids of 1529 and 1683. Liszt-Haus). The house has been the main border point between
Other trophies from that period turned into a museum. Austria and Hungary. Its present
include a captured Turkish tent, form dates mainly from the turn
one of the major attractions, as E Liszt-Haus of the 17th century, but the
well as vast paintings of battle Lisztstrasse 46. Tel (02619) 510 47­16. remains of the medieval
scenes and a tank, dug 142 m Open mid­Mar–May: 9am–5pm Tue– fortifications from the 13th
(466 ft) deep into the castle Sat; Jun–mid­Nov: 9am–5pm Mon– century, as well as several old
court yard by the captive Turks. Sat, 10am–5pm Sun & hols. houses, remain in the main
Having played its part in repell­ square today.
ing the Turkish threat, the heavily d Neusiedler See In Hauptplatz, the main square,
fortified castle became a stands an attractive town hall
museum in 1815. See pp156–7. with a Rococo balcony and an
The equestrian statue in arcaded courtyard. Also here is
the courtyard is of Paul, the Baroque Pfarrkirche,
the first Prince of the f Eisenstadt built by Heinrich Hoffmann.
Esterházy family, which See pp158–9. In Friedrich­Schiller­Gasse

Imposing 14th-century Burg Forchtenstein on the slopes of Rosaliengebirge
The tranquil waters of Neusiedler See, the jewel of Burgenland

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