Burg Neckenmarkt

Burg Neckenmarkt, also called Burg Eckendorf, was a hilltop fortress above the village of Neckenmarkt in Burgenland. It stood on the western rise overlooking the settlement. The site is now marked by scant remains and a hollow lane that once formed part of the defences. A nearby field called Burgstall suggests an earlier fortification once occupied the same ground. The ruins lie close to the Lange Zeile area, where low walls still hint at the castle’s former scale. The surrounding vineyards and rolling hills give the spot a quiet, rural air. The fortress was built in the early 13th century by Laurentius Aba, son of the powerful Hungarian lord Peter Aba. By 1289 it had already been destroyed in the Second Güssinger Feud between Duke Albrecht of Austria and the Güssinger counts. The attackers tunnelled beneath the tower until it collapsed in flames. Tradition claims fifty women and thirty children escaped, while all the defenders perished. The brief but violent history left only fragments of the once stout walls. Visitors today walk a grassy slope where low stone lines mark the castle’s outline. The hollow way below is thought to have guided attackers and defenders alike. A short stroll across the vineyard leads to the Burgstall field, where a low mound and scattered stones recall the first fort. From the hilltop the view stretches over Neckenmarkt’s orderly lanes and the patchwork of Burgenland’s wine country. The place feels peaceful now, yet the ruins still tell of sieges and sudden ruin long ago.