Structures - Austria / II. Republic of Austria 1957 - 10 Shilling

The castle Heidenreichstein rises near the state border in the northern Waldviertel. She also gave the city her name. Already in the first half of the 12th century, the castle was probably built. The name of castle and town is on Hederichstein, which means the castle of a Hederich (Heidenreich), who is also to be regarded as the builder. Hederich was the son of Wolfger of Eggenburg. The first documentary mention is obtained in Zwettler documents from the year 1205, in which an Otto von Heidenreichstein and his son Wolfhart are called. In 1710, the rule Heidenreichstein came as a hereditary fief of the house Palffy. The descendants of the Palffy family, which had been raised to the hereditary princely status in 1807, owned the estate until 1947. In the will of the family, this was passed on to the von van der Straten family. As a border festival, Heidenreichstein was the most exposed to hostile attacks during wartime. From the religious battles of the 16th century, the Hussite invasions to the French invasions in 1809, all the warlike events of general Austrian history took place in Heidenreichstein.