Schloss Vestenthal

Schloss Vestenthal is a former moated castle in Niederösterreich, about a kilometre south-west of the main village in the Vestenthal cadastral area. It sits in a quiet valley near the river Erlauf, surrounded by farmland and woods. The building dates back to the 13th century, when Otto von Steyr gave his estate ‘in valle’ to Gleink Abbey in 1254. Before that, Conrad von Ritzenwinkel had held the land as a fief, and when he surrendered it the Ritzenwinkel family became dependants of the abbey. Historians believe they built a small fortress in the valley, which later gave its name to the place. The castle is a square block with a steep hipped roof and round towers at two corners. It has been lived in for centuries and still serves as a home today. The thick walls and towers show its medieval origins, while the roof and windows have been adapted over time. The moat that once surrounded the building is now filled in, but the layout of the grounds still follows the old water defences. The Ritzenwinkel family’s brief ownership left little trace beyond the name Vestenthal, yet their link to Gleink Abbey shaped the site’s early history. Visitors approach along a country lane that runs through fields and past a small wood. The castle appears suddenly, its red-tiled roof and pale walls rising above the flat land. Inside, the present owners have kept some original features such as exposed beams and stone doorways. The round towers give views over the valley and the Erlauf river in the distance. The quiet surroundings make it easy to imagine how the fortress looked when the Ritzenwinkel knights first raised their walls in the valley.