Austria has quite a few things that America does not have, castles are some of my very favorites. Forchtenstein castle is situated upon the top of hill over looking the Burgenland below. It is another example of Esterhazy influence. It was built in the Middle Ages and handed over to the Esterhazys in the 17th Century as a show of gratitude when the Esterhazy’s military obtained Munkacs land in Hungary.[1] The Esterhazys then remodeled the castle into a fortified residence. It has been a castle, the troops arsenal, the Esterhazy treasury and a fortified residence. The artifacts within show its dual purposes as an arsenal and residence.
As an arsenal this castle had a plethora of guns. Some were captured from the French and others were used against the Turks. However, being an American we see guns quite often since we constitutionalized the right to bear arms so they are not as exciting as some other pieces in the arsenal. I was however, extremely impressed by the glass grenades, which were used against the Turks. When our tour guide mentioned them I thought it was a mistranslation because I did not think grenades were invented until later. Then if they were glass, there’s no way they would have lasted over 300 years. However, me of little faith, there were glass grenades and now I’m left imagining how painful it would be, caught in its blast. Another very interesting piece is the execution chair, very different than the guillotine or the gallows, which take very little talent or skill to accomplish the job of the executioner. I believe an axe with a chopping block would be easier than the chair. For an execution at this chair think baseball. A home-run would be decapitation with the first swing. The chair itself has evidence of batters with low batting averages.
As a residence this castle has places to cook and places to eat. Most impressive however was the place to get one’s water. Happy Birthday will never be quite as spectacular again after hearing its echoes sung in the deep well of Forchtenstein Castle.
As we meandered home from the Alps and Forchtenstein Castle we found ourselves at yet another castle (something that would not happen in California). According to a sign, the Liechtenstein Dynasty built the Liechtenstein Castle in the 12th Century. It was destroyed by the Turks and then “re-built in 1873 and completed in the style of the period (historism [sic]).” This quote made me laugh a little because the Ring Strasse was built in this period, and the period’s style, Historicism, mimics past styles. So I wonder if the castle is mimicking castle styles, or how that works. So this castle that looks medieval, what we see today is in fact an “aspiring” medieval castle, built where one originally medieval castle stood.[2]
Even though much of the castle is re-built, and not all of it is indeed 12th Century, it is still pretty cool and older than many of our historical buildings in California. I am from the “Victorian Village of Ferndale” in California and its history of wealth boomed in the 1880s. This is one of our “old” towns. If comparing the age of Liechtenstein and Ferndale, the latter is a baby, born when the former was having its second hip-replacement surgery. Old has a whole different meaning in Europe. California has a Victorian Village, Austria has many castles.
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