Description of the attraction
The ruins of Ehrenberg Castle are just 1 km from the Tyrolean village of Reutte. Together with the Schlosskopf fortress, located above the castle, and Fort Claudia, which lies below in the valley, Ehrenberg Castle was a powerful medieval fortification, of which there were not so many in Central Europe.
Ehrenberg Castle, whose walls exactly followed the outlines of a site on a cliff over a strategically important pass, was built by Heinrich von Starkenberg. In those days, the heart of the fortress was a rectangular palace, the main decoration of which was a huge hall where all the knights guarding the castle could gather. The owners of the castle had the right to levy a tax on anyone who tried to pass through the valley. Therefore, in the XIV century, the castle was rented several times for a very high fee.
The fortress had to be maintained in good condition, so its owners and tenants constantly improved and completed the buildings that make up the castle complex. So, in 1317, the roof of the palace and the covering of the fortress walls were repaired. In 1365 the castle became the property of the Habsburgs. In the 15th century, the mansion was completely rebuilt, turning it into a spacious palace, and an artillery tower appeared near the fortress wall. After the castle was seized by Protestants for a short period in the middle of the 16th century, the strengthening of this complex began. The castle was expanded with the construction of several towers and a bastion at the entrance gate. During the Thirty Years War, the Ehrenberg fortress withstood the six thousandth army of the Duke of Saxe-Weimar.
At the end of the 18th century, the castle was abandoned by people. This structure passed from hand to hand, gradually collapsing. Its walls were taken apart in stone for other construction. In our time, the destruction of the castle has been stopped. The ruins of Ehrenberg Castle are one of the Tyrolean landmarks. They are open to the public.
