Burg Raabs an der Thaya is one of the oldest stone castles in Austria, built in the second half of the 11th century in the municipality of Raabs an der Thaya, Lower Austria, Austria, on the steep headland overlooking the country at 456 meters above sea level of the sea.
Burg Raabs an der Thaya History
The medieval history of this area begins with the ancient Moravian fortification in the town of Sand, near Burg Raabs. This fortified settlement was discovered in 1992 by Kurt Bors. According to the results of dendrochronological dating, the North Wall was built between 926 and 929. However, the settlement was abandoned after several decades, probably destroyed by a catastrophic fire from the Hungarian raid. At that time, the Great Moravian Empire was overthrown by the Hungarian invaders, before Moravia ruled today's Lower Austria, all the way to the Enns River.
The first written documentation relating to the lord of the castle "Gotfridi in castrum Racouz" is in Czech Cosmas Chronicle from 1100. From the years 1074 and 1076 they are called forest areas "silva Rogacz" ("Rogacz forest" - territory around the next town Horn) they are named in two royal gifts for the Margraves of the Babenberg family.
The castle was named Rakous (formerly Rakús) by Czech neighbors, which is the origin of the Czech and Slovak name for the whole of Austria, Rakousko / Rakúsko.
The instability in the space of South Moravia in the first half of the 11th century led to repeated conflicts. For example, in the Altahensis annales it is reported that in 1082 the son of the Margrave Adalbert took one of the towns on the present northern provincial border after it was forcibly torn from his father by the Přemyslids. After the extinction of the Raab counts in the male line (around 1192) the western territory with the castle passed to Count Hirschberg-Tollenstein.
In 1252 the Czech king Přemysl Otakar II acquired the entire county. The owner of the castle became Vok I. of Rožmberk from the Czech noble clan Vítkovci. In 1282 the castle passed to the Habsburgs, because after 1278 a large part of the county was confiscated by King Rudolf.
Raabs Castle is now owned by the publisher Richard Pils and his family. Its “Provincial Library” has received several awards for its quality and sometimes even hosts eccentrics such as Herbert Achternbusch or Sepp Dressinger. For over 20 years, the annual Poets Festival in August has drawn book and culture lovers to the ancient walls. The calendar of events isn't just for bookworms - there are concerts at the castle, festivals and castle music tours.