Hohenberg Castle (German:Burgruine Hohenberg) is a ruined hilltop castle in the market town ofHohenberg in southernLower Austria.[1]
Hohenberg Castle was built in the 13th century byDietrich of Hohenburg, son of theministerial (servile knightly) Leutold von Hohenstaff (laterLeutold von Altenburg). With the construction of the castle, Dietrich, along with his brother Heinrich, became the founders of theHohenberg family, who in turn were part of theHohenstaff-Altenburg-Hohenberg dynasty.[2]
In 1407, when a civil war broke out in Austria between the dukesLeopold of Habsburg andErnest of Habsburg over the guardianship of the then underage DukeAlbrecht V, the then lord of the castle, Hans I of Hohenberg, sided with the latter. Hans I also forced theLilienfeld Abbey to side with his duke. When Leopold sent a punitive expedition to Hohenberg under the leadership of the Moravian knight Sokol, Hans I fled and hid in the abbey. Sokol limited himself to confiscating the Hohenbergs' horses, but this story ended unfavorably for the Lilienfeld Abbey. Hans I's support against Sokol was not enough for Sokol, which is why he plundered the abbey a short time later in revenge.[3]
With the death of the last Hohenberger, Erasmus von Hohenberg in 1529, the castle became the property ofWilhelm von Roggendorf, who was married to Erasmus' daughter, Anna von Hohenberg. After changing hands several times, it came into the possession ofSebald Pögl the Younger [de], Baron ofReifenstein and Arenberg, in 1535.[3]
In 1589 Baron Bernhard von Jörger acquired the lordship. They were a Protestantnoble family fromUpper Austria who owned many properties in the area in the 16th century, includingBergau Castle inRohrbach an der Gölsen. The Jörgers' power in the upperTraisental had grown to such an extent that they were deemed a threat toLilienfeld Abbey, considered the largest and most powerful local landowner at the time. In the course of theCounter-Reformation, the Jörgers' estates were confiscated by imperial decree in 1619, including Hohenberg.EmperorFerdinand II sent an army under Hans Balthasar von Hoyos against Hohenberg and the castle was conquered by the imperial troops, but badly damaged.[3]
After the defeat of the Jörgers, Hans Balthasar von Hoyos received Hohenberg Castle as afief, and in 1627 it became his personal property. However, as the Hoyos family did not live in the Traisental, the castle fell into disrepair. Around 40 years later, Hohenberg is shown as half ruined in theVischer engraving (1672). The outbuildings, the round towers and the defensive wall were still intact at this time.[3]
Media related toRuine Hohenberg at Wikimedia Commons47°54′15″N15°37′24″E / 47.9041°N 15.6232°E /47.9041; 15.6232
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