Burg Heidenreichstein, Medieval water castle and museum in Heidenreichstein, Austria

Burg Heidenreichstein is a water castle on a low rock outcrop in Heidenreichstein, 17 km northeast of Gmünd in Lower Austria. It is bounded by the Hauswehrteich pond to the south, the Romaubach stream to the east, and moats to the west and north. The complex is reached by two drawbridges and a Renaissance gate; its round corner towers have steep conical roofs, and the tallest tower's wooden gallery is sheltered by the overhanging roof. The high bergfried is the oldest part, while most service buildings date from the 15th and 16th centuries.

The castle was probably built around 1160, and the first written mention dates from 1205, when Otto von Heidenreichstein took his name from it. From 1400 the Puchheim family expanded the complex, work interrupted by the Hussite sieges of 1425 to 1431. In 1540 Friedrich Christoph von Puchheim and his brothers built the outer gatehouse, whose inscription records the date. The Puchheims held the estate for 288 years, until 1636.

The castle holds a collection of furnishings from different periods that shows how people lived here across the centuries. The rooms are filled with pieces from Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque times, reflecting the tastes and lifestyles of earlier residents.

Visitors can explore the castle through guided tours filled with information about the rooms and collections. It is helpful to wear comfortable shoes since access is over drawbridges and involves climbing several staircases inside.

The roof of the great tower is still covered with wooden shingles, and its Gothic truss of hewn beams is held together by carved wooden pegs rather than nails. The projecting roof shelters the wall-walk around the tower top.