Ruine Hinterhaus: A Medieval Hilltop Fortification in Austria
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.8
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Austria
- Primary era
- Medieval
- External website
- Open
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Duchy of Austria, Holy Roman Empire
- Site type
- Military
- Remains
- Castle
On this page5 sections
History
Medieval origins and control
Ruine Hinterhaus, also called Oberhaus, is a nearly thousand-year-old hilltop fortification in Austria above Spitz an der Donau. Its oldest section, the main castle, already existed in the twelfth century, and the site was first mentioned in 1243. During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the knights of Spitz controlled the castle while remaining subordinate to the Kuenringers, a medieval noble family with extensive influence in Lower Austria.
The castle formed part of the medieval defensive landscape of the Wachau, the Danube valley region in Lower Austria where Spitz is situated. Its elevated position on the Jauerling massif provided the setting for a fortified residence and stronghold.
Municipal ownership and preservation
In 1970, the ruin passed into the ownership of the market-town municipality of Spitz. From 1977, the then Spitz Tourist Association, now the Spitz Tourism Association, undertook maintenance and restoration work, helping preserve the surviving castle fabric.
Ruine Hinterhaus is also associated with a traditional legend. According to the story, the ghost of Adelheid, the wife of Heinrich the Iron, appears at the ruin each year on the anniversary of her husband’s death. The tale says that Heinrich remarried soon after Adelheid died, before completing the required year of mourning, and then died shortly afterward. His death was interpreted as punishment for this shameful conduct.
Remains
Hilltop setting and overall layout
The ruin occupies a rocky ridge on the Hausberg, a spur of the Jauerling that forms part of the Jauerling massif in the Wachau. The castle complex is arranged in three clearly separate sections along this elevated ridge: a lower northeastern outer bailey, an enclosed defensive area outside the main castle; the main castle, which occupies most of the rocky ridge; and a southwestern outer bailey. The site survives as a ruin.
