Werfenstein Castle - Burg Werfenstein

Werfenstein Castle - Burg Werfenstein, Struden, Upper Austria, Republic of Austria.

   The small castle was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century on behalf of the Counts of Clam-Velburg. In 1217, it likely passed to the Babenbergs through an inheritance agreement, and it is first documented under their rule in 1234. It was administered by ducal burgraves, such as Wickardus de Wervenstein in 1272. Emperor Rudolf granted the castle to Konrad von Sommerau, but in 1296, during the suppression of the noble revolt against Albrecht I, it was captured and taken from the Sommerau family. From 1314 onward, the castle was almost constantly pledged as collateral. In 1354, Duke Albrecht II commissioned the expenditure of 100 pounds for the castle's reconstruction. In 1461, the castle fell to Sigismund of Tyrol, who also had it administered by stewards. After 1490, the estate passed to the Prüschenk family, who united it with Greinburg, leaving Werfenstein to decay. In 1531, Wolf Huber depicted the castle already without roofs.

    In 1876, the ruins passed to Julius Vanne. In 1907, "Jörg" Lanz von Liebenfels acquired them and designated them the "Archpriory" of the New Templar Order he founded, which would later serve as the basis for several National Socialist ideas. Completely plundered in 1945, the ruins were acquired by Hannes Kopf in 1963, who converted them into a modern residence.

Source: https://www.ms-visucom.de/cgi-bin/ebidat.pl?id=1571