Mauterndorf Castle

Geschichte

Mauterndorf Castle is a castle in the municipality of Mauterndorf, in the Austrian state of Salzburg. It is situated at an altitude of 1138m.HistoryMautendorf Castle is probably built on the site of an old Roman fort that dates to 326 AD or earlier. It protected the Roman mountain road from Teurnia via Radstädter Tauern Pass to Iuvavum (present-day Salzburg) and served as a residence for the Roman administrator in the Noricum province. The original fort was destroyed during the Migration Period.A castle built on the site in later years was funded and supported by a toll (maut) collection system for the nearby road. Evidence for this comes from a deed gift issued by Emperor Henry II in the year 1002. "Dorf" is a German suffix for village or settlement. The castle itself was not mentioned until in 1253, th the time when the keep was erected. Held by the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg, the fortress was significantly enlarged under the rule of the archbishops Burkhard Weisbriach and Leonhard von Keutschach during the 15th century, to reach the form it still has today. The toll system on the Radtsädter Tauern Pass road supported the castle and village until in 1803 when the toll collection was abandoned during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1806 the castle became a possession of the Austrian state.

"Die Sonnenuhr über dem Portal zur Burg Mauterndorf hat schon vor Hunderten von Jahren Händler, Halunken und Reisende auf ihrem Weg durch den Lungau begrüßt. Wo es einst hieß „Beutel öffnen und Maut bezahlen“ tauchen Besucher heute tief ins Mittelalter ein."