Hohenwerfen Castle

Hohenwerfen Castle stands on a 155-metre rock pillar high above the Salzach valley, 40 kilometres south of Salzburg. The medieval fortress rises 623 metres above sea level and overlooks the market town of Werfen. Built in the 11th century by the Archbishops of Salzburg, it shares its origins with nearby Hohensalzburg Fortress. The castle was raised during the Imperial Investiture Controversy to control the Alpine crossing along the Salzach. Archbishop Gebhard ordered its construction between 1075 and 1078 as a stronghold against King Henry IV. The fortress served as a military base, hunting lodge and state prison over the centuries. It was enlarged in the 12th century and again in the 16th during the German Peasants’ War. Many nobles were imprisoned here, including Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich Raitenau, who died in 1617 after six years of confinement. In the 20th century the castle was damaged by fire, used as a Nazi training camp and later as a police training site. Since 1987 it has operated as a museum. Visitors find guided tours through halls and dungeons, a large weapons collection and the historic Salzburg Falconry with daily flight displays. Eagles, falcons, hawks and vultures perform overhead while visitors watch from below. The fortress tavern offers food and drink with views across the valley. The castle also appears in films such as Where Eagles Dare and The Sound of Music. From its terraces the Berchtesgaden Alps and Tennen Mountains stretch to the horizon.