Schattenburg is a 12th century castle located in Feldkirch, now a popular tourist destination. Among the best-preserved medieval manors in Austria, it now houses a museum and restaurant.
Schattenburg History
Schattenburg Castle was mentioned in the chronicle by monks Ortlieb and Berthold in 1138. Muntifurt Castle, mentioned in the first half of the 12th century, may have housed vassals of the Earl of Bregenz, who ruled the area at the time. On his rise to power in 1182, Count Hugo I, grandson of the last Count of Bregenz Rudolf, relocated his residence to the castle of Feldkirch, which was important for reasons of political power and traffic control.
For 200 years the castle remained the property of the Counts of Montfort. On the death of the last of the Montfortians, Rudolph IV, the castle and the resulting power passed to the Habsburgs. The Habsburgs ruled the estate through the governors who lived in the castle until 1773.
Only from 1416 to 1436 their government was briefly interrupted, when it passed into the hands of the counts of Toggenburg. The help of Duke Frederick of Austria in the escape of the antipope Johannes XIII proved fatal for him. Not only was he banished in the name of the Emperor and excommunicated, but he also lost all his possessions, including Feldkirch. In 1825 the Municipality bought the partially ruined castle from the State for 833 florins. Today Schattenburg is a museum.