Kollmitz Castle Ruins Audio guide

Castle above the bend of the Thaya

The ruins of Kollmitz Castle rank among the largest medieval castle complexes in Lower Austria. They stand on a steep rocky outcrop east of Raabs an der Thaya, where the Thaya River bends around the massif in a broad curve. The site was not chosen by chance, since it made it possible to control the valley route as well as the surrounding border region.

The surviving remains point to exceptionally strong fortifications. Among the most striking features are the cyclopean walls with two round corner towers, a semicircular gate tower, a donjon, a dungeon, and fragments of residential buildings. In the northwest there is also the Czech Wall, about 110 meters long, built around 1450 as a defensive measure against the Czech threat.

Development and decline

The castle is documented in writing as early as the thirteenth century, and in the fourteenth century a provincial court was located here. The estate often changed hands until it came into the possession of the Lords of Hofkirchen in 1411. Kollmitz also owed its importance to nearby Drösiedl, which from the late sixteenth century took over residential functions in Renaissance form.

After 1708, the old castle was no longer in use and the buildings began to decay, or served as a source of building stone. Today the site is open to visitors and maintained by a heritage preservation association.