Burgruine Mollenburg

The Mollenburg is a partly restored ruin of a hilltop castle near Weiten in Lower Austria. It stands on a ridge about forty metres high that drops steeply on three sides. The site covers roughly 120 by sixty metres, with a deep rock-cut ditch separating the outer ward from the main castle. The castle’s history begins in the mid-13th century when the Lords of Werd-Capellen built a modest stronghold here. After destruction during the Kuenringer revolt, it was rebuilt and first mentioned in 1303. Later owners enlarged the fortress, turning it into a Renaissance palace in the 16th century. In 1860 the steward removed the roof for tax reasons, leaving the structure to decay. The Mauthe family bought the ruin in 1972 and carried out extensive repairs, making parts of the outer ward habitable again. Visitors walk through the restored two-storey gate tower and the still-inhabited Renaissance high house of the outer ward. A wide rock-cut ditch leads to the main castle, whose square core holds a four-storey great hall. The late-Gothic smoke kitchen with its massive flue and the octagonal tower in the eastern corner of the enceinte remain well preserved.