Burgruine Bachsfall, Medieval castle ruins in Bischofshofen, Austria
Burgruine Bachsfall is a medieval castle site situated on a plateau near the Gainfeld waterfall in Bischofshofen. The ruins display a rectangular layout with preserved wall segments that rise approximately one meter above the ground level.
The Lords of Pongau built this fortress in the 12th century to control the mountain region. A ministerial family from Burg Gutrat took charge of the site around 1230.
The name refers to its location by a waterfall in the stream valley. Visitors can observe how this fortress was positioned to command the local landscape and access to important trade routes through the mountains.
The site is accessible by climbing a 400-step staircase near the Gainbach waterfall or by taking an eastern trail from the ski jump parking area. The staircase provides the more direct route, though it demands good physical fitness for the ascent.
Between 1983 and 1985, archaeologists conducted systematic excavation that transformed an overgrown pile of debris into a properly documented site. This work preserved crucial information about the fortress before it could be lost to time.
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