Staatzer Klippe, Natural monument and mountain peak in Staatz, Austria

Staatzer Klippe is a limestone cliff that rises sharply about 330 meters above sea level, towering roughly 100 meters above the surrounding plain. The summit holds remains of a fortification that once crowned the ridge.

Staatz Castle was built on the cliff in the 11th century. Swedish troops destroyed it in 1645, and it has stood as a ruin ever since.

At the foot of the cliff stands the Felsenbühne Staatz, an open-air stage with 1,200 seats that ranks among the largest in Lower Austria. Musicals are staged there regularly in summer, with the limestone cliff and castle ruin as a backdrop.

The cliff and the castle ruin on its summit are protected as a natural monument, so stay on the marked paths and leave the dry grassland and rock-steppe plants untouched. The slopes are partly overgrown with trees and shrubs, and the limestone is slippery after rain. The open-air stage with 1,200 seats lies at the foot of the cliff.

The dry, warm rock steppes on the slopes shelter plants whose natural range lies far to the east, such as Oxytropis pilosa, Marrubium peregrinum and Lactuca viminea. They spread here after Neolithic settlers cleared the woodland. The castle's defensive use kept the hill largely free of trees for centuries, since growth would have blocked the view of attackers.