Schloss Pitten

Burg Pitten stands on a rocky spur above the parish church in the market town of Pitten, Lower Austria. Originally a fortified hilltop castle, it was first recorded in 1094 and even named in the Nibelungenlied. The fortress once guarded the Hungarian border, but after a four-year siege in 1482 it was captured and destroyed by Matthias Corvinus. According to legend, the castle’s steward Wolfgang Teufel sent the king a final basket of hares, bread and wine to pretend supplies were plentiful, delaying the attack until the trick was seen through. After rebuilding and enlargement, the castle withstood Turkish assaults in 1529 and 1683. Its most striking feature is the 140-metre-deep well, hand-dug in the early 17th century on the orders of Johann Christoph Teufel Freiherr zu Gundersdorf. In the 19th century the structure was transformed into a hunting lodge, losing much of its medieval appearance. Only the western stretch of high-medieval ashlar masonry survives from the original walls. Visitors today walk through the former hunting lodge’s rooms and along the remaining medieval curtain wall. The site offers views across the Pitten valley and towards the church below. Remnants of the deep well can be seen, and the Corvinusbecher, a goblet presented to Wolfgang Teufel, is kept in the community’s possession. The surrounding market town retains its quiet charm, framed by the castle’s historic silhouette.