Burgruine Aggstein The Burgruine Aggstein ( " castle ruins of Aggstein " ) are the remnants of a castle on the right bank of the Danube in Wachau , Austria . The castle dates back to the 12th century . Location . The castle ruins are situated at about above the right bank of the Danube on an east – west aligned outcrop . It is some long and has a rock structure at both ends . The ruins are in the Municipality of Schönbühel - Aggsbach in the Melk District of Lower Austria . History . The castle was probably built in the beginning of the 12th century by Manegold III of Acchispach ( Aggsbach ) . In 1181 it came into the possession of the Kuenringer family of Aggsbach - Gansbach . It was besieged and conquered in 1230 / 31 in the uprising led by Hadmar III and his vassals against Duke Friedrich II . In the disputes over the succession of Friedrich II , or " herrscherlosen Zeit " ( the " time without a ruler " ) , the Kuenringers switched sides a few times . Thus Leutold Kuenring outmaneuvered the Austrian nobility at their revolt against Duke Albrecht I : subsequently , the castle was besieged and conquered in turn in 1295 / 96 . The last Kuenringer , Leutold II , held the castle from 1348 to 1355 . After that it fell into disrepair . Duke Albrecht V in 1429 withdrew the castle from Maissauer ' s stewardship , and assigned it to his chamberlain , Jörg ( Georg ) Scheck von Wald . Albrecht commissioned him to rebuild the ruined castle to secure the passage of ships on the Danube . In 1438 Scheck von Wald received the right to tolls for ships traveling upriver . In return , he had to maintain the towpaths by which the barges were drawn upstream . In addition he built a toll house on the riverbank that now serves as a forestry house . Over time , he became a robber baron , in that he looted the ships on the Danube . Hence his epithet " Schreckenwald " ( wordplay on his family name , Scheck von Wald , meaning " Terror Forest " ) , which is said to have been given to him because of his cruelty towards the population . In 1463 the castle was further besieged by another robber baron , Georg von Stain . He defeated Scheck von Wald and took over the castle as collateral , since the Duke was said to owe him money . In 1476 von Stain was expelled by Ulrich Freiherr Graveneck who ruled the castle from 1476 – 77 , until he , too , was forced to surrender the castle . Duke Leopold III took over the castle in 1477 , and occupied it with tenants and caretakers in order to stop the looting . In 1529 , the castle was burned down by a group of Turks at the first Turkish siege of Vienna . Again it was rebuilt and provisioned with gunports for artillery defense . In 1606 Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz , the widow of the last tenant , acquired the castle . After her death , the castle was seriously neglected . In 1685 it was deeded to Count Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg , along with Schloss Schönbühel . Ludwig Josef Gregor von Starhemberg sold the properties to Count Franz von Beroldingen in 1819 . It remained in von Beroldingen ' s possession until 1930 — until the Schönbühel estate , along with the Aggstein ruins , was sold to Count Oswald von Seilern Aspang . It is said that Hadmar III had considered the castle impregnable . As a matter of fact , there is no evidence that the castle was ever stormed by direct force . Only other measures , such as starvation from siege , would lead to the conquest of the castle . Today , the Aggstein ruins , with about 55 , 000 visitors annually , is one of the most - visited tourist attractions of Lower Austria . Construction history . In the early 12th century , the time of the Kuenringers , the castle was besieged and destroyed at least twice . Only parts of the foundation on the so - called " Bürgel " ( small castle ) on the western outcropping , and on " Stein " , a rock structure on the east side , originate from this time . In 1429 Jörg Scheck von Wald had it razed and rebuilt . Consequently , from 1429 to 1436 the local people provided the labor putting the castle up again and enlarging it . Most of the parts that are still there , such as the remnants of the three - storey women ' s tower , the palace and the gothic chapel , go back to this reconstruction . The famous rose garden was also set up at this time . After the Ottomans burned it down , the castle was redesigned as an artillery defense and equipped with gunports . From 1606 , under Anna Freiin von Polheim und Parz , the castle was renovated and a Renaissance - style pulpit was installed in the middle castle . After her death there was no - one to stop its decline , and stones and timber were taken and used to erect a Servite Order convent on nearby Maria Langegg . Under the Beroldigers the first safety measures to preserve the ruins were carried out . These were completed under Oswald von Seilern . From 2003 to 2004 the Burgruine Aggstein Beautification project was set up with funding from the federal state of Lower Austria and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund ( EAGGF ) totaling €49 , 630 . 00 . Through this project defective masonry was repaired ; sewers , water supply and utilities were put in working order ; the entrance area was reshaped and a new banquet hall was designed . Legends surrounding Aggstein . Hadmar and the Iron Chain . Hadmar III von Kuenring is alleged to have captured ships traveling downriver with an iron chain stretched across the Danube . This became too much for Duke Friedrich , who decided to storm the castle . But the castle was known to be able to resist any direct assault , so he resorted to more devious methods . There was a merchant from Vienna by the name of Rüdiger whom Hadmar had attacked too many times . Friedrich despatched Rüdiger to Regensburg , where he outfitted a sturdy ship . Loaded with valuable cargo above and with heavily armed soldiers below , the ship traveled back down the Danube . As it passed Schönbühel on its way to Aggstein , a ship that looked to be carrying a rich load , it was hailed and detained . The precious cargo had lured Hadmar himself to the ship . As he boarded the ship , he was overpowered by the soldiers . Just then the ship hove to and cruised towards Vienna where the Duke was waiting . The leaderless castle was taken immediately . The Duke granted Hadmar his life and liberty on the condition that he returned all the stolen goods and atoned for the injuries he had inflicted . A few years later in a small village on the Upper Danube while on a pilgrimage to Passau he is said to have died . Miscellaneous . As part of a series of postage stamps featuring the landscapes of Austria , on November 30 , 1973 the Austrian Postal Service issued a 5 - Schilling definitive stamp on this motif . References . " This article was initially translated from the German Wikipedia . "