Kreuzenstein castle

The very picturesque medieval Kreuzenstein Castle is located just 17 km from Vienna in the quiet village of Leobendorf. The history of the castle is not very long - it is only four hundred years old. Despite the fact that the first structure on the site of the current castle was built in the 12th century and belonged to the royal family of the Habsburgs, little has survived from it - in the 17th century during the Thirty Years War, Kreuzenstein was blown up, and only fragments of a powerful foundation survived. The castle stood in ruins until the end of the 19th century, when Count Wilczek undertook to recreate the former glory of Kreuzenstein. The castle was reconstructed according to old drawings, literally stone by stone, and upon completion of construction in 1906, it appeared to the admiring public even more brilliant than before. Among other things, Count Wilczek filled the halls of Kreuzenstein with numerous exhibits from the knightly history of various castles in Europe, and today the living spirit of that glorious era is perfectly felt here. It was within the walls of Kreuzenstein that the cult film of 1993 "The Three Musketeers" was shot with Chris O'Donnell, Charlie Sheen and Kiefer Sutherland. Also in this castle filmed the film "The Time of the Witches" with Nicolas Cage.