Helchenburg

The Helchenburg was a medieval fortress in the Strudengau region of Upper Austria. It stood near Struden on the Danube, part of a chain of toll and defence towers along the river. The site controlled a strategic crossing point where the Danube narrows, linking Upper and Lower Austria. The Helchenburg appears in 12th-century records, first in a papal decree of 1182 or 1183 confirming a border. It is mentioned again in a forged charter from Stifts Waldhausen dated 1147 but altered between 1265 and 1332. By the late 12th century the castle had already disappeared, leaving only traces in documents and local memory. Possible locations include a hill above the Dimbach valley called Turnegger, or a rocky outcrop north of Werfenstein castle. The latter was once called the Old Strudener Schloss and is still known locally as the Schwallenburg. Stone cuttings on the rock suggest former walls, though their origin remains uncertain. Visitors today can explore the quiet riverside paths and view the Danube from the heights where the fortress once stood.