Plankenstein Castle, Medieval castle and museum in Texingtal, Austria

Plankenstein Castle stands at 657 metres above sea level in Texingtal, Lower Austria. The multi-storey building of pale weathered stone has a red tile roof, an irregular central facade with small dark windows and a wooden balcony, a tall square crenellated tower on the right and a round crenellated turret on the left rear corner. A smaller square gatehouse with a hipped grey roof and an arched entry connects via a low wall to a round crenellated tower on the right.

Burg Plankenstein was first documented in 1186, built by the Plankenstein family, ministeriales of the Counts of Peilstein. Pankraz von Plankenstein had the castle renovated in 1453 but did not live there. After the Tinti family acquired it in 1713, it was abandoned and fell into ruin; a chronicle of 1800 records that church and school were later housed in the ruins. In 1975 architect Hans-Peter Trimbacher bought it and closed the main roof by October.

The name Plankenstein comes from the old word blanc, meaning white, so it means roughly "the one from the white stone". Mass was held in the castle until 1952, after which services moved to the newly built parish church of Plankenstein. Today the former castle chapel and the arcaded courtyard serve as event rooms, and the castle tavern is open to guests daily.

The castle stands at 657 metres above sea level near Texingtal and serves as a stop on the North-South long-distance hiking trail. The Burgtaverne is open daily to guests, and overnight stays are possible in the individually furnished guest rooms. The site is reached by road from Texing, about 4 kilometres to the northeast.

The castle stands at 657 metres above sea level and serves as a stop on the North-South long-distance hiking trail. The Tinti family owned it from 1713 until 1939, when debts forced the sale to the Nagel-Doornick family from Westphalia.