Austria has long been located at the crossroads of routes leading to various European countries. This has led to a well-developed hotel industry. For many decades, its famous hotels have appeared here, arousing great interest among various tourists. Many people associate Austria primarily with the Alps, so the most fashionable hotels are located on mountain resorts- Ischgl, Zell am See, Sölden. Many of these hotels are not just a business, but a family business, passed down from generation to generation. That is why many establishments eventually become famous far beyond the borders of this country. In the large cities of Austria, there are also many establishments that can be confidently called famous and even iconic. They are usually found in large cities - Vienna, Innsbruck, Salzburg. The sophisticated tourist has plenty to choose from - five-star hotel complexes or cozy design hotels, where each room is individually decorated. On the territory of Austria, there are often small castles that are willingly turned into hotels. Such a unique opportunity is not always presented, how to spend time in a medieval castle and feel like a real aristocrat.

The impressive architecture of Austria would mean nothing without the legends that are associated with it. Even the Cathedral of St. Stefan - and he keeps an interesting story. And in every legend you can feel the atmosphere of this country. Sometimes even stronger than sightseeing.

The historical center of the capital of Austria is the imperial city. Beautiful, stately buildings, cozy coffee shops and pastry shops, the famous Vienna Opera and the Boulevard Ring filled with greenery ... The locals have always been proud of this place. But their sense of humor always added a special piquancy to him. For example, an interesting riddle has been preserved since ancient times. Vienna has thick and solid walls, fortified bastions and well-guarded gates. But without going through the gate, you can get inside. It turns out that the answer is simple: some of them are called "Red Tower". There is no word "gate" in the name. By the way, it was through them that the main route to the Inner City ran.

The pride of Austria is its flag. You can read more about other features of this country and its resorts. Note the white stripe adorning the red box. She is a reminder of the courage of the Austrian duke. He had to fight with a whole horde of enemies under the leadership of the Sultan. But he did not back down. Although the clothes were stained with blood, a white stripe remained - a place under the weapon.

In the Imperial City, by the way, you should definitely look at the Cathedral of St. Stefan. It stands out significantly from the rest of the buildings. And on its walls you can see "scars". Once there was a shopping arcade near the cathedral. And sellers cut out measures to measure the goods. So these slots on the walls of the landmark remained.

They say that when it was being built, one of the lime trees was preserved. The architect came to the priest and warned that the trees must be cut down. But he begged him to leave one of his favorite lindens. “She is as old as I am, and should not leave the world before me,” the priest said to the architect. The specialist went to meet him and redesigned everything.

Moreover, everything was planned so that the linden tree looked into the priest's window. He was incredibly happy. “We are good friends - linden and me,” he said. And they say that when the time came for the priest to leave the world, the linden blossomed. All would be fine, but it was in the middle of winter. This amazing legend is kept by Austria to this day. However, she has many other interesting stories in her arsenal.

Myths and legends of Austrian castles

Myths and legends of Austrian castles

The palaces and castles of Austria are the main attraction of the country, because we all know very well that it was in Austria that this intricate art developed in the best way. The building and beautification of castles and palaces in this country has been cherished for years and even centuries. So, one of the most famous palace and park ensembles is Schönbrunn, which is located in the capital in Vienna.

Wonderful fairytale Austria

But, what is true, and what is fiction in this castle?

Its history dates back to 1614, when Kaiser Matthias, who loved hunting, bought a hunting lodge near the old town. Walking through the forest, he discovered a source and ordered to dig a well at this place, which he called "schonnen Brunnen" - a wonderful source. This well has survived, and today it is located in the Schönbrunn garden near the statue of a nymph. The hunting lodge was destroyed during the siege of Vienna by Turkish troops. Construction of the majestic Schönbrunn Castle began in 1696 and was not completely completed until 1712. The palace complex was designed by Fischer von Erlach, modeled on the Palace of Versailles for the Habsburgs, a powerful dynasty that ruled most of Europe for centuries. In 1700, Schönbrunn Palace was donated to Maria Theresa, who was then, among other titles, the reigning Archduchess of Austria. It was a gift from her father. She instructed the court architect to overhaul the palace and make rococo transformations, including the laying of beautiful gardens, like the Mirabell Palace (Salzburg). Unlike the darker Hofburg manor, another Habsburg castle in Vienna, Schönbrunn is brighter, livelier and more hospitable.

Schönbrunn Royal Palace

This castle was chosen as the summer residence of the imperial family of Austria, and remained so until 1918, when the long reign of the Habsburg dynasty ended. After the fall of the monarchy, it was decided to open the park and palace to the public. The whole complex includes 1441 rooms. Of these, it should be noted that 190 rooms that do not belong to the museum are leased to private individuals. Forty rooms of the castle are open to the public. The most interesting are the state rooms, which are stunning in their decoration. Many rooms feature exquisite moldings and ornamental rococo ornaments, especially the richly decorated Room of Millions. You can study them indefinitely, imagining what kind of divine life reigned here during the time of the Habsburgs, who made the history of Austria in these halls. In 1760 Joseph II married Isabella Parma here, in 1805-1806. the castle was the headquarters of Napoleon, and in 1814-1815. the Vienna Congress danced in its halls. Kaiser Franz Joseph I was born and died in Schönbrunn Castle, and the last Kaiser Charles I abdicated the crown here. Of course, a view of Schönbrunn Palace would be incomplete without its Imperial Garden. The gardens are divided into several parts, such as the French garden, where hedges wind in an intricate labyrinth. Among the main attractions of the Schönbrunn Garden is the Gloriett Pavilion, a marble summer house.

The park also houses one of the oldest zoos in the world, founded in 1752. The octagonal pavilion, decorated with a lush ceiling painting, is located in the center of the park. Now the zoo is home to about 4500 animals.

Not only castles, but also cathedrals were built with all the grandeur

So, for example, the Salzburg Cathedral renowned for its harmonious Baroque architecture and 4000 pipe organ. There is also a medieval baptismal font where Mozart was baptized. The original temple was founded in 767 in the center of the former Roman city of Yuvavum by order of Bishop Virgile, and in 774 it was consecrated in honor of the two saints Peter and Rupert. In the Salzburg fire of 1167, the temple burned to the ground, and a new, more luxurious and majestic Romanesque cathedral was built in its place. But in 1598, a fire destroyed most of the building again. The then reigning prince-archbishop Wolf Dietrich ordered the demolition of the remains of the ruins, hatching plans to build a new grandiose cathedral, which would surpass the beauty of the temples that had ever existed. Carried away by this idea, the archbishop destroyed not only the valuable sculptures that had survived, but also plowed the churchyard, which angered the inhabitants of Salzburg. Soon, under the pretext of strife with Bavaria, he was thrown into the Hohensalzburg prison by his successor, Markus Sittikus von Hohenems, who built the current Salzburg Cathedral. The ceremonial consecration of the new building took place in 1628.

Legends of Austria
From the book "Legends of Austria" ("Tannen-E - a city under eternal ice")

Translated from German by Roman Eyvadis

Basilisk

One June morning in 1212, in the Schönlaterngasse lane, in front of house number 7, a baker's shop, as well-off as the greedy master Garhibl, a huge crowd of townspeople gathered. The gates were locked, and desperate cries for help came from the house. Curious and onlookers all arrived. In the end, a couple of daredevils decided to break the gate; Meanwhile, others hurried to the city judge, Jakob von der Hulben, and informed him that something terrible was happening in the baker's house.
Meanwhile, the gate suddenly opened by itself, and the baker, mortally pale, appeared before the eagerly moving crowd, which bombarded him with questions. However, before the baker could explain what had happened, the city judge came with his guard and demanded an answer from the shaking baker - which was the cause of the disturbance of the order.
- Mister city judge, - said, stammering, Garhibl, - a terrible monster has wound up in my house! Early this morning one of my maids wanted to draw water from a well and noticed some wonderful glittering and glowing deep in the well; at that very moment such a hellish stench hit her nose that she almost fainted. She screamed loudly and ran into the house. My disciple volunteered to see what was the matter. He ordered to tie himself with a rope, took a torch in his hand and went down into the well. Before he had time to reach the water, he suddenly let out a terrible cry and dropped the torch. We pulled it out quickly. The poor fellow almost died of fear. When he regained consciousness, he said that he saw a terrible monster at the bottom of the well, resembling either a rooster or a toad. His paws seem to be thick and warty, the tail is serrated, covered with scales, and on his head is a fiery crown. This monster, says the boy, threw such gazes at him that he began to say goodbye to life. If we hadn't pulled him up at the same moment, the baker concluded his story, he would have disappeared in the well.
The city judge was embarrassed and did not know how to deal with this strange case. Fortunately, a certain scholar, Dr. Heinrich Pollitzer, was in the crowd. Making his way to the city judge, he announced that he knew what was the matter, and asked permission to calm the townspeople.
“The name of the beast seen in the well is basilisk,” he explained. - A basilisk emerges from an egg laid by a rooster and hatched by a toad. Even the ancient Roman writer Pliny described this animal. It is unusually poisonous, even its breath, but what can I say - its mere sight is destructive for a person. He must be killed immediately. And this can be done in only one way - by showing the beast a mirror. As soon as he sees his disgusting appearance, he will immediately burst with rage. If there is a person who dares to this feat, - the scientist turned to the baker, - then your house will get rid of the monster.
The crowd was silent. The baker cried out without hesitation:
“Which of you would dare to hold out a mirror to a basilisk? I swear he will not regret it - I will reward him like a prince!
Put a baker in front of people even a barrel of gold - and then, it seems, no one would have expressed a desire to climb into the well. No one spoke a word. The strongest men escaped first, and the rest gradually dispersed after them, for even the proximity of the well itself, in which a dangerous beast lurked, terrified them.
Only one coped with his fear and announced that he was ready to try his luck. It was a poor fellow named Hans Gelbhaar, an apprentice to the baker himself.
“Master,” he said, “you know that for a long time I have loved your daughter Apollonia with all my heart. I also know that you are angry with me for this. If you agree to give me your daughter as my wife, then for the sake of such happiness I will not be afraid to risk my head.
And since the baker was in an indescribable fear of the monster, then even such a price - to which he, if this misfortune had not happened, would never have agreed in the world - seemed to him not too high. He waved his hand and gave his word that Apollonia would become his wife as soon as the basilisk died.
The city judge ordered a large mirror to be brought, Hans was tied with a rope, and he began to slowly descend into the well. He managed to evade the deadly gaze of the basilisk and bring him a mirror, safely avoiding danger. The Basilisk, seeing his disgusting guise, burst with anger with a thunderous crash. The apprentice, alive and well, climbed out of the well, Apollonia hugged him for joy, and the baker had no choice but to keep his word. Hans and Apollonia healed happily and cheerfully.
On the advice of Dr. Pollitzer, the well was filled with stones and covered with earth, thereby burying the monster at the bottom. But even in his death he did not lose his destructive power. Several workers were poisoned by the poisonous fumes rising from the well and died two to three days later. The baker's apprentice did not survive either.
In memory of the basilisk, an image of the beast was placed in the niche of house number 7 in the Schönlaterngasse lane. From now on, the house was called nothing less than the "Basilisk House". Belief in a dangerous monster is long gone, only the expression "basilisk gaze", which means an ominous gaze, lives on to this day.

Danube mermaid

At the hour when the evening is serenely extinguished, when the moon shines in the sky and pours its silver light on the earth, sometimes a charming creature appears among the waves of the Danube. Light curls, framing a beautiful face, adorns a wreath of flowers; flowers are also entwined with a snow-white camp. The young enchantress now sways on the shimmering waves, then disappears into the depths of the river, in order to soon reappear on the surface.
From time to time, the mermaid leaves the cool waters and wanders in the moonlight through the dewy coastal meadows, not even afraid to appear to people, looks into lonely fishing huts and enjoys the peaceful life of their poor inhabitants. She often warns fishermen, informing them of impending danger: ice jams, floods or a severe storm.
She helps one, but condemns the other to death, luring her into the river with her seductive singing. Seized by sudden anguish, he follows her and finds his own grave on the river bottom.
Many centuries ago, when Vienna was still a small town and where tall houses now adorn, low fishing huts huddled lonely together, an old fisherman and his son sat one frosty winter evening with his son in his poor dwelling, by a burning hearth. They repaired nets and talked about the dangers of their craft. The old man, of course, knew many stories about mermaids and mermaids.
“At the bottom of the Danube,” he said, “there is a huge crystal palace, and the river king lives in it with his wife and children. On large tables, there are glass vessels in which he keeps the souls of the drowned. The king often goes out for a walk along the coast, and woe to those who dare to call out to him: he will immediately drag him to the bottom. His daughters, mermaids, are all as if they were looking for a beauty and are very eager for young handsome guys. Those who manage to charm them must certainly drown in speed. Therefore, beware of the mermaids, my son! All of them are pretty, sometimes they even come to dances to people and dance all night, until the first roosters, and then hurry back to their watery kingdom.
The old man knew many stories and fables; the son listened to his father's words with disbelief, for he had never seen mermaids before. The old fisherman had hardly finished his story when the door of the hut suddenly opened. The interior of the poor dwelling lit up with a magical light, and a beautiful girl in a shimmering white robe appeared on the threshold. White water lilies were woven into her braids, shining like gold.
- Do not be alarmed! - said the beautiful guest, fixing her damp-blue gaze on the young fisherman. “I’m just a mermaid and will not harm you. I have come to warn you of the danger. The thaw is approaching; the ice on the Danube will crackle and melt, the river will overflow its banks and flood the coastal meadows and your dwellings. Do not waste time, run, otherwise you will perish.
Father and son seemed to be petrified with amazement, and when the strange vision disappeared and the door quietly closed again, they could not utter a word for a long time. They did not know if it happened to them in a dream or in reality. Finally the old man took a deep breath, looked at his son and asked:
- Did you see it too?
The young man shook off his daze and nodded silently. No, it was not an obsession! There was a mermaid in their hut, they both saw her, they both heard her words!
Father and son jumped to their feet and rushed out of the hut, into the frosty night, hurried to their neighbors, other fishermen, and told them about the miraculous incident. And there was not a single person in the village who would not believe in the divination of the good mermaid; everyone tied their belongings in knots and left their homes that very night, carrying with them everything they could carry, and rushed to the surrounding hills. They knew perfectly well what a sudden thaw threatened them, if a frost-bound stream suddenly breaks its shackles.
When the morning dawned, they heard a dull crack and crash coming from the river; bluish transparent blocks of ice piled on top of each other. The very next day, a seething and foamy lake covered the coastal meadows and fields. Only the steep roofs of the fishing huts towered lonely over the still arriving water. But not a single person and not a single animal drowned, everyone managed to retire to a safe distance.
The water soon subsided, the stream returned to its course, and everything became as before. But is that all? No, one person has lost his peace forever! It was a young fisherman who could not forget the beautiful mermaid and the gentle gaze of her blue eyes. He constantly saw her before him; the image of her pursued the young man relentlessly, whether he was fishing or sitting in front of the hearth. She appeared to him even at night in a dream, and in the morning, waking up, he could not believe that it was just a dream.
Increasingly, he walked to the banks of the Danube, sat alone for a long time under the coastal willows and gazed into the water. In the noise of the stream, he fancied her inviting voice. Most willingly, he rode out in his boat to the middle of the river and thoughtfully admired the play of the waves, and every silver fish that sailed past seemed to tease him on purpose. He bent over the edge of the boat, stretched out his arms to her, as if wishing to grab her, grab and hold her forever. However, his dream was not destined to come true. Day by day, his gaze became more and more sad, and all the bitter was in his heart when he returned in the evening to his dwelling.
One night his melancholy became so intolerable that he secretly left the hut, went ashore and untied his boat. He never came back again. In the morning, his boat was alone, without a swimmer, swaying on the waves in the middle of the river.
No one ever saw the young fisherman again. For many years since then, the old father sat alone in front of his hut, looked at the river and cried about the fate of his son, whom the mermaid took with her to the bottom of the Danube, to the crystal palace of the water king.

The magical castle Grabenweg

Once upon a time, on both sides of the picturesque valley, in which today the village of Grabenweg, near Pottenstein, is located, wild, broken rocks and steep mountain slopes with snow-capped peaks towered. Not many people settled here, and they were poor, like church mice, for in the valley there was only enough food for two or three small and unpretentious flocks of sheep.
In some places, scraps of scanty grass grew in the crevices of the rocks. You can't work up fat on such grass, the sheep only needed it so as not to die of hunger. And on one of these wretched pastures a certain young shepherd drove his flock day after day. Once - the inhabitants of the plains were celebrating the summer solstice at that time - he went with the sheep again up the steep and steep slopes upward. When he reached the place, he left the animals to the care of the faithful dog, and he sat down in his favorite place, a small ledge of the rock, from which he could see far away. Mountain peaks and ridges. After a while, he took out a pipe from his shepherd's bag and played on it. Suddenly it seemed to him that the rock behind him trembled and moved. He jumped to his feet in fright. The earth shook, and from its depths an ominous rumble and peals of thunder were heard; the mountain opened, and the huge stone on which he had just sat fell into the abyss. Something crackled and hissed around the young man; the intolerable brilliance blinded him for a moment; he closed his eyes, and when he opened his eyes again, he saw in the very place where he so loved to sit, a wonderfully sparkling crystal palace.
The shepherd froze in amazement and did not take his eyes off this shining miracle, which appeared in the middle of the bare rocks from nowhere. The palace was burning in the sun and sparkling; a row of slender columns of the purest rock crystal and gold ornament adorned the entrance to it. Silver steps led upstairs to a swinging gate, studded with precious stones.
The young man stood motionless, as if bewitched. Finally, the sound of a bell rang out from above, from the farthest peaks, to his ears. There, in the silence of the heavens, lived an old hermit, who every time during the hour of prayer he sounded a bell. As soon as the last beat of the bell melted in the air, a clear, gentle voice was heard from the palace, at first quietly, then ever louder and louder. Fascinated by the sweet singing, the shepherd boy grabbed his pipe and began to play along with the invisible songstress.
When the song ceased, the shining sash door opened, and a girl of such extraordinary beauty appeared on the threshold that even the luxury of a crystal palace appeared to be a wretched person next to her. She was dressed in a snow-white, shimmery dress up to her feet. The young man could not get enough of her. The beauty approached him with a smile and kissed his forehead.
The shepherd boy was so amazed that he could not utter a word.
- Dear young man, - said the girl. “With your pipe, you removed part of the terrible spell that has kept me imprisoned here for many years. Now it depends on you whether you will be able to disenchant me to the end. Your reward for your feat will be this crystal palace with its innumerable treasures and my hand.
The girl gazed at him, full of supplication, and uttered an incantation:
- Will you have the courage? Are you ready to try your luck and save me?
The shepherd seemed to wake up from a dream. In order to help a beautiful girl, he was ready for any feats. His eyes lit up, his cheeks flushed.
- What should I do to disenchant you? he exclaimed.
- Your task is not easy, - the girl answered. “You will have to serve me a difficult and dangerous service. Did you think well? Is your decision firm?
The young man said that at the very moment when he saw her, he forgot forever what fear was.
The girl smiled and continued:
- Every year, on the day of the solstice, come to this mountain one hour after sunrise. Wait until the hermit's bell heralds the hour of prayer. This palace will again appear before you. Enter it boldly, without fear of anything, and go through all the chambers to the very last room. There I will meet you in the form of some vile monster. Do not be afraid and do not lose courage! You should come up to me and kiss my forehead. If you do this three times on the same day and at the same hour, then with the third kiss the evil spell will disappear, and I will become yours, along with the castle and all its treasures. If you want this, reach out to me your hand and give me your word that you will not back down.
The young shepherd swore that no forces in the world would force him to break this vow, and held out his hand to the girl.
“Thank you,” said the beauty. “If you ever have doubts, remember your promise and be persistent. Exactly in a year we will see each other again.
With these words she returned to the magic castle, the shining door closed behind her, there was a thunderclap, and the castle disappeared under the ground. The rock was again in its place, and everything became as before.
To the young man, everything that happened to him seemed like a strange dream. From that time on, he could not think of anything but the promise he had given to the magical beauty. And every time he drove his sheep into the mountains, he was seized with sacred awe at the sight of the mysterious rock, from which, thanks to his pipe, a crystal palace grew.
So a year passed. On the day of the summer solstice, the shepherd went with his flock long before dawn to specified place... His heart was beating loudly. He no longer knew whether he had dreamed it all a year ago in a dream, or had happened in reality. Finally, in the east, the sun rose from behind the mountains, the hermit's bell rang, and as soon as the last blow died away, the magic castle shone again in front of the young man. He hesitated for just a moment, then boldly walked to the castle and wanted to open the gate. But they themselves swung open before him, and the young man was able to freely enter the palace. Such splendor, which immediately surrounded him, he could not have imagined even in his most daring dreams, but he did not look either to the right or to the left, but rushed through all the chambers straight to the very last room. Her door was closed. He stood a little hesitantly, then gathered all his courage together and pressed the doorknob. A large hall lay before him. Before he even had time to glance over him, a monstrous snake soared from a soft bed covered with precious velvet and with a hiss rushed to meet him. The shepherd was so horrified that he almost lost his mind. He already wanted to take flight, but in time he remembered the girl's words, bravely stepped to the snake and kissed her on the head. Feelings left him, and he sank to the ground powerlessly.
Coming to his senses, he saw that everything was lying on the same ledge of the rock, and the magic castle disappeared without a trace. He straightened up, looked around and could not believe his eyes: the slopes of the mountains were covered with luscious greenery, the eternal snows no longer gleamed on the ridges and battlements as before, and the rocks were no longer so broken and steep. The shepherd, in joy, grabbed his pipe and played the sweetest melodies, and the morning breeze carried wonderful sounds far over the green slopes. And when he put the pipe aside, it seemed to him that he hears in the sighs of the breeze gently hovering over the rocks, the voice of a girl who thanked him.
Another year passed. The day of the solstice came again, and everything was the same as the first time. Only this time did he find a fierce beast outside the door of the last room, which, showing its teeth, rushed to him with a furious roar and with an open mouth. It is no wonder that the young man again almost succumbed to fear. He again wanted to flee, but in time he remembered the promise given to the girl. Reluctantly, he hugged the vile monster by the neck and kissed him on the forehead.
At that very second, as if by a wave of a magic wand, the monster disappeared, and a round dance of the most charming fairies appeared in front of the young man. The Crystal Palace resounded with sweet music. The shepherd could not marvel at the fabulous creatures and enjoy the marvelous sounds, but suddenly he saw a beautiful girl right in front of him. She smiled at him and gently waved her hand, and at that moment, without hesitation, he would have jumped into the fire and burned to the ground, if only it could have helped her. He stretched out his arms, wanting to hug her, but the walls of the palace slowly floated away, and after another moment everything disappeared from sight, the rocks closed, and in front of him was a familiar ledge, as if nothing had happened.
When the shepherd came to his senses again, he almost cried out in amazement: there were definitely no steep rocks. Rounded peaks and sloping slopes were visible everywhere, trees were green and shrubs were blooming. Where not so long ago sheep were sadly nibbling the stunted grass between the stones, emerald green shone in the sun. Below, in the valley caressing the gaze, a silver stream gurgled.
It is not difficult to imagine with what eagerness the young shepherd drove his sheep from now on to this wonderful pasture. While the sheep grazed, he sat on a stone, played the pipe and dreamed of a beautiful girl.
Finally the third year has passed. The shepherd was no longer a timid youth, but a strong, handsome youth. He spent the night before the solstice on the cherished rock, playing such wonderful melodies that had never been released before. When the sun rose and the hermit's bell fell silent, the palace suddenly reappeared before him.
But how he has changed! Blue flames burst out of the windows, and a hideous monster guarded the entrance. The shepherd was not at all embarrassed, but walked with firm steps straight to the beast, and he, growling, made way for him. In all the chambers there was an unimaginable noise. Ugly dwarfs jumped around him, making creepy faces and throwing blinding lightning at his feet. Here the shepherd's heart still trembled, but he did not back down, but went through all the chambers and decisively pushed the door of the last hall. The door opened - and a huge dragon, spewing flame, rushed at him with a chilling howl; his fiery eyes were as big as cart wheels. The shepherd nearly fainted from surprise; in horror, he backed away, and then completely rushed out of the palace. Loud gloating laughter followed him.
In an instant, the young man found himself on the green lawn in front of the palace. And then the earth trembled, the air filled with a terrible hiss and whistle, and a monstrous howl came from the palace. And through him the shepherd clearly heard the groaning of a beautiful girl. The meaning of what had happened immediately came to him, and he realized that he had not kept his promise. An indescribable fear for the girl seized him. In one leap he reached the gate and wanted to hurry to her aid, but the gate was already locked. He rested on them with all his might, the gates, unable to bear it, flung open, and he ran into the palace. But then a powerful thunderclap rang out - and the palace disappeared under the ground together with the young man.
No one knew where the young shepherd had disappeared. A year later, on the holiday of the summer solstice, fellow countrymen found him dead in the place where there used to be a small ledge of the rock. Until now, the valley has remained the same flourishing and welcoming.

"Cuenring Dogs"

At the beginning of the thirteenth century, when the knighthood in the young duchy of Austria reached its highest peak, the Kuenringi, whose family castle was located in Waldviertel, were one of the richest and most powerful families in the country. However, they did not consider it shameful to increase their wealth by robbing the peasants and townspeople.
Hadmar III, owner of Aggstein Castle, and his brother, Henry I, were the most famous bandits in the Wachau. The Quenring Dogs, they called themselves. The whole country suffered from the atrocities committed by these pirate knights, and even the inhabitants of the well-fortified cities did not know peace. So, for example, in 1231 the brothers turned the cities of Krems and Stein into a heap of ruins.
The shortest and most convenient route from the west to Vienna at that time ran along the Danube. However, Hadmar von Kuenring built his robber's nest in Wachau and never missed an opportunity to seize a merchant ship sailing down the Danube and carry the seized cargo to his castle Aggstein. Having blocked the Danube with an iron chain, he plundered the detained ships, took everything he liked, and the merchants were glad to get away with them. Until recently, between Schönbühel and Aggstein, one could see the ruins of a watchtower, from which Hadmar's guards informed their master about the approach of ships by blowing a horn, and which was therefore popularly called the "Pipe Tower".
These iniquities, of course, could not last long; Duke Frederick the Warlike decided to put an end to the robbers once and for all. He took Zwettl by storm, where Heinrich was at that time. The villain managed, however, to escape and take refuge in Aggstein, in the castle of his brother Hadmar. Aggstein was almost impregnable: perched on a high cliff, it could withstand even months of siege. The duke, convinced that nothing could be achieved here by force, decided to resort to cunning and deal with both brothers at once.
A Viennese merchant named Rüdiger, who had been robbed more than once by Hadmar, went on the instructions of the duke to Regensburg. There he equipped a large, sturdy ship and loaded it with precious goods. In the holds, he hid a detachment of soldiers armed to the teeth, who were supposed to take Kuenring prisoner as soon as he steps on the deck. Everything happened as planned. The ship was detained at Aggstein; the news of the rich booty lured Hadmar himself out of the castle. And as soon as he stepped on the ship, the soldiers rushed at him from ambush and tied him hand and foot. The ship set sail at once; archers and slingers repulsed the attempts of the knightly bollards to recapture their master.
Hadmar was triumphantly taken to Vienna and thrown at the feet of the duke, and the castle left without a master was soon captured and destroyed. The Duke acted generously with both von Kuenring knights. He gave them life and freedom; however, for this they had to return all the loot, compensate for the damage and provide hostages. However, the spirit of Hadmar, the formidable lord of the Wachau, was broken. A few years later, he died in a small village on the upper Danube on a pilgrimage to Passau.

Snow Jacob from Wolfstein Castle

In a narrow valley stretching from Aggsbach all the way to the Dunkelsteinerwald Forest, in Wolfsteingraben, there are the ruins of Wolfstein Castle. A statue of St. Jacob was once installed in the chapel of the castle. This saint is especially revered by the villagers, for he is considered a miracle worker, and people owe good weather to his intercession in heaven, which the peasant cannot do without. The Wolfsteiners also venerated their saint and cherished him like the apple of their eye. That is why they had the most favorable weather in the whole district.
Not surprisingly, the neighbors soon began to envy the Wolfsteiners for having such a patron. The Gansbachs were unhappy with their weather more than others and often made a pilgrimage to Wolfstein to the holy miracle worker in order to beg him for themselves good weather... However, St. Jacob seemed deaf to other people's prayers: their weather was still bad. In the end, the Gansbakhs got angry in earnest. Several daredevils made their way one night into the chapel of Wolfstein Castle and stole the saint.
When the Wolfstein men came to the chapel in the morning, Jacob disappeared without a trace. True, they immediately realized that only their neighbors, the Gansbakhs, were capable of such blasphemy, but they could not prove anything, and the search for them did not lead to anything - the statue seemed to have fallen through the ground. The Gansbach thieves cleverly hid it in their church, in a secluded place where it was not so easy to find it.
However, St. Jacob did not like the Hansbach church. She seemed to him too big, alien and cold. He yearned for his cozy little chapel. And so, on a gloomy, stormy night, when snow covered the whole earth, he left his new home and went back to Wolfstein. In Siedlgraben he met an old peasant who immediately recognized the lost miracle worker in the night traveler.
- God, this is St. Jacob! - exclaimed the astonished peasant. - Tell me, where are you heading in such bad weather?
The saint answered:
- Home, where else! I didn't like Gansbach.
The peasant was overjoyed and began to warmly thank the saint. The next morning, arriving at the chapel, he saw that St. Jacob did indeed stand in its former place. From now on, the weather again responded to the wishes of the Steinbach people, who organized an unprecedented holiday on the occasion of the return of their saint. The Gansbakh people no longer dared to kidnap the saint, but obediently went with prayer to St. Jacob when they needed good weather.
Since the miracle of the return took place on a snowy night, the statue has been called "Snow Jacob" ever since.

Forgotten Chapel at Scharfeneck Castle

Once rode through the forest, in the vicinity of Baden, a poor knight. He had neither a castle nor a dwelling; his entire estate consisted of a kind sword hanging on his side. Out of vexation at his pitiful lot, he almost drove the horse to death. In despair, he dismounted at last, sat down on the green moss and began to swear fate.
- The last hope has left me! he exclaimed and sighed heavily. - Even the devil has nothing to do with me!
He barely had time to utter these words, when he saw the devil in front of him.
- I'm here. What do you want from me? he asked.
The knight, who had endured so much grief and hardship in his lifetime, believed that there could be nothing worse than all these trials. And therefore, not at all embarrassed by the appearance of the ominous guest, without much hesitation he demanded in a firm voice:
- Get me at once a castle with everything that a real knight should have!
- I will fulfill your wish, - answered the devil, - but on one condition. You must not marry until you die. If you break the condition, then instead of paying for the lock, you will give me your soul.
The knight agreed and the very next morning entered the castle of Scharfenek, built for him by the devil on a high rock.
Several years have passed. The knight lived happily and happily in his castle, revered by all neighbors for his affable disposition. However, over time, loneliness began to torment him. He would be glad to get married, but then he would have to give his soul to the devil. In addition, he recently made an acquaintance with the amiable and beautiful daughter of the owner of the nearby castle, Rauenstein. A beautiful girl has not gone out of his head since then. To make her his wife seemed to him the highest bliss on earth. The young beauty also fell in love with the knight von Scharfeneck; he had only to ask the girl's parents for the hand of the girl, and they would gladly agree. But he did not dare to take this step, for for his sake he would have to give up eternal bliss.
Not himself from longing, he wandered through the woods, deprived of sleep and peace; the image of his beloved girl stood before his eyes day and night. In despair, he turned for advice to a pious hermit who lived nearby in the forest and was revered by all the people in the area. He told him about his misfortune, and did not hide how he got in touch with Satan himself, which is why he could not now marry without plunging himself into the fire of hell.
The good hermit listened attentively to him. The knight's suffering touched his heart, and he promised to help the trouble and taught him how to be and what to do, so that he perked up again. For he knew the means of teaching the devil a lesson! The knight said goodbye to him, showered him with words of gratitude, immediately rushed to rejoice to the Rauenstein castle and asked for the girl's hand.
A week later, the fun began at Scharfeneck Castle. The owner was celebrating his engagement to Fraulein von Rauenstein. Close and distant guests came, a rich treat was prepared for them.
When the hermit, also invited to the feast, raised his goblet for the health of the bride and groom, the door of the hall suddenly swung open with a bang. A tall knight dressed in a black dress, whom none of those present knew, crossed the threshold, looked with a grin at the embarrassed groom and exclaimed:
- I came to get the agreed payment for the castle.
The knight turned white as a sheet; the guests, too, gazed in horror at the ominous figure of the stranger. Then the hermit fearlessly stepped towards him and asked:
- So it was you who built the castle?
The Black Knight answered in the affirmative.
“We would like to make sure that your castle really has everything that a real knight should have,” the hermit continued.
The black knight grinned insolently and nodded his head. However, the hermit remained unperturbed.
“If everything is as you say, you will certainly receive the payment due to you,” he said calmly. - But are you sure that you have not forgotten anything, fulfilling your promise, and have handed over to the current owner everything that should be in the castle - chambers and stables, kitchen and basement, walls and towers, windows and doors?
- All without exception! Everything that a real knight should have! the stranger declared triumphantly.
- Well, then take us all together with the bride and groom to the chapel! the hermit said quickly.
The devil broke out in a monstrous curse and at the same moment fell into the ground. Of course, it was not in his power to build a chapel in the castle, which is why Scharfenek lacked this integral part of any medieval castle.
The rescued knight threw himself at the hermit's feet and, with tears of gratitude in his eyes, vowed never to forget about his miraculous deed.

The Copper Bitch at Rauenstein Castle

Lived many centuries ago in Baden, in the castle Rauenstein, a knight by the name of Wolf, skillfully wielding a sword and not knowing fear, but such a harsh and cruel disposition that he was called for his eyes nothing other than "stern stone." He was powerful and courageous and believed that everything was permissible for him in relation to people who were poor and unnatural, especially if they incurred his wrath.
Once, two young townspeople dared to shoot the game in the forest that belonged to the knight. They were captured, taken to the castle, thrown after a brief interrogation in the prison tower and sentenced to death.
The elderly father of both captives offered the owner of the castle a large ransom and asked to spare his sons, but the knight rejected the offer with a mockery. In his indignation and despair, the old man could not restrain himself and began to shower him with terrible curses. Then the knight ordered to seize the ill-fated father and throw him after his sons into prison.
This city dweller was a most skilful craftsman, master of bells; the second such was not to be found in the whole district, and the Badenians stood up for him and for his sons, turning to the knight with a request for leniency. After lengthy negotiations, the knight Wolf agreed to pardon only two prisoners, but on such cruel conditions that only a man with a "stone heart" could invent. Instead of a ransom for himself and for one of the sons, the father had to cast a bell, the first blow of which was to sound at the moment of the execution of the second son.
In addition, the knight, in order to hasten the old man, appointed a very short time for casting the death bell. He ordered to cast it in the courtyard of the Rauenstein castle. One can easily imagine the despair of a poor old man who set to work to save at least one son. Since the time allotted to him was short, and the necessary material was difficult to obtain so soon, relatives and friends of the master brought him everything they could find; were among the donated things and holy images of chased work.
The old man set to work with shaking hands. His art was a joy to him all his life, but when he poured the bell that brought death to his own son, he cursed his craft and the day when he decided to master it.
Finally the bell was ready and hung in the castle tower. As soon as the tongue with a rope was tied to it, the knight ordered to call. At that moment, the old master lost his mind. He rushed up a narrow, twisted staircase to the top landing of the tower and began to ring frantically. The ringing of the bell drowned out his groans. Without stopping, the old man cursed his bell and prayed to God to send down punishment on the knight's head.
His son had long since been killed, and the unfortunate madman on the tower continued to ring, not letting go of the rope for a second. Suddenly a terrible thunderstorm broke out. Lightning struck the tower and killed the bell ringer, while the castle burned to the ground.
However, the knight Wolf was rich enough to rebuild it. A few years later, he again towered over the city, even more beautiful than before. And so the knight decided to marry his daughter. Solemnly, with music and bell ringing, they greeted the groom entering the castle. The knight's daughter in a wedding dress stood on the balcony and waved to her chosen one. At the same time, forgetting herself, she inadvertently leaned over the fence, fell down and died at the same moment. And then suddenly the death bell struck by itself.
This was the first of many misfortunes and misfortunes that befell the castle and the Rauenstein family. And each time a bell rang in the tower. At first they wanted to break him, this hated herald of fate, but by that time the belief had already spread that the whole family would die out as soon as the bell was destroyed. And then the tongue was removed from him, and the tower was walled up in the hope of making him at least shut up.
Misfortune, however, did not leave the Rauenstein house alone. And every time, when another disaster approached, the dull beating of a bell could be heard from the tower. Like a house owl, he sent his ominous cries to people into the silence of the night. In the end, the Rauensteins left the castle and sold their ancestral home to another knightly family.

Margrave Herold and his daughters in the Dunkelsteinerwald forest

Having defeated the Avars and thrown them back to the east, Charlemagne settled the plundered, devastated lands between Enns and the Vienna Woods with the Bavarians and made the ruler of these border cities and the weight of his brother-in-law Herold in order to prevent further raids of violent bandit tribes.
The residence of the Margrave Herold was in Lorkh. In the legend, everything is described differently. To the northeast, about an hour's walk from Melk, rises the gloomy Prakkersberg mountain, the threshold of a vast forest. On the flat top of the mountain, from where a wide view of the plain, the foothills of the Alps and the Danube opens, he ordered the margrave to build a castle of extraordinary beauty. There he made a dwelling for himself and ruled, surrounded by his three daughters and numerous retinue, in luxury and splendor.
During the next uprising of the Avars, Gerold died, the castle on the mountain went underground, and the daughters of the margrave disappeared without a trace. In the place where the castle stood, in the ominous twilight of the pine forest, today a pond overgrown with elodea, called the "lake" by the locals, shimmers.
This place is unclean, Prakkersberg Mountain. Somewhere there the daughters of the margrave are still hiding, one of whom was called Salome, and they fool lonely travelers. Once they lured three young artisans into the thicket, showing them a splendid castle, presenting themselves to them as beautiful princesses and affectionately calling them their betrothed; the poor fellows then forcibly got out of the dark forest. It is no wonder to go astray, especially at night, if you rush to the call of a beckoning voice or to the sounds of enchanting singing. Before you know it, there are already wild thorny thickets around, and you are covered from head to toe with abrasions and scratches, and the path is gone. And behind the back - a malicious laugh; it is the ghosts of the forest, the daughters of the Margrave Herold, who amuse themselves.
The nearby village of Gerolding owes its name to the Count, and the ravine, stretching from the mountain to the ancient village of Mauer, is still called the Salomein Moat.

Mount Etcher

Since Etcher rises his head above all the mountains in the district and even looks unusually majestic from a distance, it is not surprising that so many legends have been born about him since ancient times.
They say that countless evil spirits live on Etcher, but their deeds seem to be so bad that they even yearn for their underworld. The devil dwells between the icy Thorstein and the Schauchenspitze - so people in the old days thought; on clear days, he sometimes instantly winds and drives snow clouds across the sky, and at night he reminds of himself with fiery sparks.
There is a large and inaccessible lake on Etcher. Huge ice blocks of bizarre shapes cover its surface, and in the depths there are dark fish, which are said to be blind. Previously, people believed that these were the souls of sinners awaiting deliverance. And among these fish there is one special one, distinguished by its size and strange appearance. She has lived in dark waters for over a thousand years. This is Pilate, who unrighteously condemned the Lord and was exiled for this to a mountain lake, where he now awaits, wordless and blind, the Last Judgment. That is why the lake is called "Pilate Lake".
There have been many legends about the numerous caves, often leading far into the bowels of the mountain, especially about Thunder Hole, Pigeon Hole and Money Hole.
The largest Thunder Hole - and there are several of them on Etcher - is located on the western slope of the mountain. If, in clear weather, a stone is thrown into this cave, then immediately clouds will come and a terrible thunderstorm will break out. So mountain spirits take revenge on people for disturbed peace. Don't believe me? Well, try it yourself - and see if it's true or not!
The Pigeon Hole got its name from the many mountain jackdaws nesting in it. In fact, these are not birds at all, but the souls of great sinners - curmudgeons and usurers, who, as punishment for their unrighteous life, were exiled after death to Etcher and now wander there without sleep or rest in the form of black birds.
In the Money Hole, according to rumors, countless treasures have been hidden for many centuries. And it was like this: during the time of Charlemagne, there lived in Mauterna a certain rich widow named Gula. When the Avars moved along the Danube, devastating the land with fire and sword, she rushed with her little son Enother and all her riches on greyhound horses into the mountains and took refuge in Etcher's caves. She made a dwelling for herself in the Pigeon Hole, and in the Money Hole she placed reserves of silver and gold. So she lived, not knowing grief, rejoicing that her son in the clean mountain air quickly grows up and turns into a real giant.
He became the guardian of the mountain, endowed with magical power, and showed himself here and there, each time changing his appearance and scaring away various evil spirits from the mountain slopes. When Count Grimwald undertook a campaign against the Avars, the giant Enotherus joined his army and, they say, performed many feats of arms. After the defeat of the Avars, Enoter laid the foundation for a new, powerful family. His mother remained in the Pigeon Hole until the end of her days, and since her son never touched the treasures, they still lie somewhere in the Money Hole to this day.
The legend of the wealth hidden in Etcher's bowels has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries and every year attracted hundreds of treasure seekers, especially foreigners. They descended into the cave, and a few days later returned with tightly packed sacks to their homeland. It is said that some lucky ones even took away the found treasures on donkeys; donkeys, of course, were invisible, but their tramples were heard well at night by the locals.

King Otter and Ruprecht's Hole on Mount Otterberg

In the Semmering region, on high mountain Otterberg, stood in ancient times, a huge luxurious castle in which the powerful king Otter lived with his court. All the lands in these parts belonged to him, and he also had a strong army, consisting of knights and horse bollards. When his hair turned gray and the approaching old age weakened his strength, earthly dominion bored him. He destroyed his castle on Otter and went down with all his retinue into the bowels of the mountain, where he ordered to build himself a magnificent palace and has lived for himself ever since in peace and tranquility. He sits in his shining palaces on a golden throne and tastes a peaceful sleep. He wears a golden crown on his head, and in front of him on a marble table lies a scepter studded with precious stones. Around him stood the nobles and servants, as well as the king, immersed in a deep magical sleep.
The entrance to the underground palace is guarded by gnomes who serve the king in those rare hours when he awakens from a long sleep together with all the courtiers. Then the king orders to arrange violent feasts, and on quiet nights you can hear the noise of many cheerful voices and perky music coming from the mountain. At times one can hear from there, as it were, the rumble of distant thunder. It is the bowling pins that the gnomes love to play with. But sometimes the king suddenly expresses a desire to leave the underground palace and go out with his retinue. Like a hurricane, the cavalcade flies through the forests covering Otterberg, then turns back at Sonnwendstein and returns through the Ruprecht Hole to the castle.
Once a poor peasant guy decided to see what was going on in the Ruprechtovoy Hole, whether it was true that icicles were hanging from the ceiling and from the walls of the cave. He asked two friends to lower him on a rope into the depths of the cave, and when darkness seized him, he suddenly felt uncomfortable, and he shouted to his comrades to quickly drag him up. The sound of his voice, repeatedly breaking against the ledges of the rocky vaults and amplifying with an echo, seemed so frightening to them that they let go of the rope and ran away. The peasant fell down to the bottom of the cave, tore up his hands in blood, but remained alive. Overcoming the pain in his bruised limbs, he got to his feet and began to look for a way out of the gloomy cave. For a long time he wandered in darkness, but he was surrounded only by sheer stone walls, and there was not even a thin ray of light that would show him the way to freedom. When he has already lost last hope to rescue, then suddenly I saw a little man in front of him, who asked him what he was doing here.
The youth's heart pounded with fear, but he gathered together all his courage and told the dwarf his sorrowful story.
- I beg you, help me get out of here! - he exclaimed, finishing the story.
The dwarf smiled and answered him affably:
- I will help you. Follow me on the trail, but be careful not to stumble.
The young man obeyed him, and they walked for a long time through the mountain until they came to the platform on which the dwarves were playing bowling pins. The pins were all of silver, and the ball was pure gold. The dwarfs sat next to the platform and drank wine from golden goblets.
- Arrange the pins for us, - one of them turned to the young man, - and for that you can then take one for yourself.
He agreed, and when the dwarves finished the game, he took one pin. Then the guide led the young man further, through the halls and passages, to the gate on the eastern slope of the mountain. Here the young man said goodbye to the dwarf and thanked him for his kindness.
“If you really want to thank me,” said the dwarf, “bring me a gift from your overworld.
- What would you like? - asked the young man.
“I love grapes and raisins most of all,” the dwarf answered, and, noticing the young man’s amazement, he smiled. “For us gnomes, this is as much a curiosity as gold and precious stones are for you.
The next morning the young man went, having collected a bag of grapes and raisins, to Otter. When he came to the familiar gates in the rock, he found them tightly locked. He stood a little at a loss. Without waiting for anything, he put his gift on the stone at the gate and set off on the way back.
Meanwhile, the sky darkened, a fog rose. Although there was no rain, it seemed to the young man that his dress was getting heavier and heavier, so that soon he was barely moving his legs under the burden of this shell. At home, he discovered, to his great joy, that his jacket, trousers, and hat were completely covered with small golden drops. This is how generously the dwarf from Mount Otterberg paid the poor peasant youth for the donated grapes and raisins, while remaining unnoticed. Since then, the young man never again felt the need to look for gold in the Ruprecht Hole.

Korneuburg rat-catcher

In the old days, when people suffered from many misfortunes, which today are very easy to cope with, so many rats were once bred in the city of Korneuburg that the inhabitants were desperate. All the nooks and crannies were swarming with rats, they roamed freely around the city, darting from house to house and from upper room to upper room, and nowhere was there any rest from them. You open the drawer of the chest of drawers, and a rat jumps out of it right at you, you go to bed, and they rustle under you in the straw, you sit down to have a bite - uninvited guests are right there and jump without fear right on the table. What only people did not do to get rid of the vile creatures, but all in vain. In the end, the council of the inhabitants of the city decided to collect a high reward for those who will be able to free the city from the rats forever.
Some time passed, and then a stranger came to the burgomaster and asked if the people who told him about the promised reward were telling the truth. When he was assured of the veracity of what he had heard, the stranger declared that he was undertaking to lure all the rats out of their holes and hiding places with his art and drive them into the Danube. The city fathers rejoiced when they heard his words.
The stranger stood in front of the town hall and took a small black pipe from his dark leather bag, which hung over his shoulder. These were the unpleasant sounds he made from his instrument: a piercing creak and squeal echoed through all the alleys, but this music clearly seemed beautiful to the rats. They rushed all at once from their holes and hurried after the musician. The rat-catcher walked slowly towards the bank of the Danube; behind him, in front and on the sides, a terrible procession of rats snaked through the streets of the city like a giant black-gray worm.
Arriving on the shore, the stranger did not stop, but went on and plunged into the river up to his chest. The rats followed him into the water; the stream immediately picked them up and carried them away, so that every one of them drowned, as if they had never existed at all!
The astonished Korneuburzhians, gathered on the river bank, could not marvel at the strange sight, and when it was all over, they accompanied the rat-catcher with joyful shouts to the town hall, where a well-deserved reward awaited him.
However, now that the rats had disappeared, the burgomaster received him far less cordially. He stated that the work was not so hard, and besides, no one can guarantee that the rats will not return; in a word, he wanted to get rid of the stranger by paying him only a quarter of the appointed amount. He opposed this and demanded to give him all the money in full. Then the burgomaster threw the skinny purse at his feet and pointed to the door. The rat-catcher, without touching the money, left the town hall with a gloomy face.
Several weeks passed. And then one day the stranger reappeared in the city. Now he was dressed incomparably richer than the last time. Stopping in the main square, he took a pipe out of his pocket, burning in the sun like gold, put it to his lips, and such wonderful music poured out that people froze and turned to their ears, as if enchanted, forgetting about everything in the world. Only the children alone rushed out of their homes at once and rushed after the stranger, who, continuing to play the pipe, went to the Danube. A ship swayed along the shore, adorned with colorful ribbons and fluttering flags. The stranger, without interrupting the music, boarded the ship, and the children skipped after him. As soon as the last of them stepped on deck, the ship sailed away and floated downstream, faster and faster, until it was out of sight. Only two children remained in the city: one was deaf and did not hear the calling sounds of a pipe, and the other, at the very river itself, suddenly decided to return to grab his jacket.
When the Kornoiburzhians missed the children and found only two of them, their grief was indescribable, and the whole city resounded with heartbreaking cries and groans. For there was not a single family in the city that did not mourn at least one child.
This is how the deceived rat-catcher took revenge on the Kornoiburzhians.

King Richard the Lionheart in Durnstein

Among other princes and noble knights, among other princes and noble knights, the king of England, Richard the Lionheart, and the Duke of Austria, Leopold V, also called the Virtuous, were among the army of the crusaders, who went with the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa to the Land of the East to reclaim the holy sites of Christianity.
When the emperor Frederick, who had already reached a very old age by that time, drowned in the river, a dispute arose between the princes over who should lead the army of the crusaders. Everyone considered himself smarter, braver and more worthy than others. King Richard the Lionheart was one of the most arrogant rulers, and not without reason, for he was a noble lord; however, in his pride, he often forgot that there were other, no less worthy sovereigns. During the siege of the stronghold of Akka in 1192, he inflicted a grievous insult on Duke Leopold. The Austrians hoisted their flag on the captured rampart, and King Richard ordered it to be torn down and raised his banner on the rampart, throwing the Austrian field banner into the mud. Duke Leopold felt - with good reason - deeply humiliated and since then could not forgive Richard for this insolence. He secretly vowed cruel revenge on the king.
Shortly thereafter, the duke with his retinue left the sacred land and returned to his homeland. The rest of the knights also did not stay long in the Land of the East. A plague broke out and claimed many lives. King Richard, having gathered home, chose the sea route; a sudden storm brought him to the shores of the Adriatic Sea, and he had no choice but to continue his journey through the country of his mortal enemy, Leopold of Austria. He donned the dress of a pilgrim, and so he managed to get to the village of Erdberg, near Vienna itself, where he came on a blizzard winter evening. Hunger forced the king and his companions to look at the inn. To remain unrecognized, he behaved like a simple pilgrim, even got up to the hearth himself, as the cook told him, and began to rotate a fat chicken on a spit over the fire. Unfortunately, the noble guest forgot about the precious ring gleaming on his finger, and the poor pilgrims, who themselves have to roast their own chicken on a spit, usually do not wear precious rings. The cook suspected something was wrong and took a closer look at the strange stranger in the gray pilgrim's dress. To top it all off, an old warrior who was with Duke Leopold in the sacred land happened to be in the tavern. To this old warrior, the face of the pilgrim seemed familiar; Looking at him intently, he suddenly recognized the king of the English. It is not hard to guess that he immediately informed the cook in a whisper.
Unsuspectingly, Richard calmly turned the chicken on the spindle, and when the cook approached him, he smiled at him affably. Imagine the amazement and fear of the king when he heard the words "your lordship" addressed to him.
“It’s not fitting for you to fry your own meat,” the cook said politely. - Surrender, because resistance is useless.
King Richard quickly regained control of himself, gave his face an indifferent expression, and pretended not to understand a word of what the chef had said. But he did not stop and reproachfully continued to urge him to prudence, saying that he was the king of England and that it was pointless to deny, since he was identified. Convinced that he had fallen into the trap, Richard threw off his cloak and exclaimed proudly:
- Good! Take me to the duke. I will only surrender to him.
On the same day, the noble prisoner was taken to Leopold's castle. Shortly thereafter, the Duke ordered him to be secretly transported to Dürnstein Castle and entrusted to the care of his loyal servant, Hadmar von Kuenring.
Richard the Lionheart languished for many months in the dungeons of a powerful castle. His subjects ran off their feet in search of the king, but their efforts were unsuccessful. When the news of the storm and the sunken royal ship reached them, everyone finally believed in his death. His brother, Prince John, was proclaimed the new king, and soon many Englishmen forgot to think about the former monarch.
But there was one man in England who did not want to believe in the death of his master. It was the singer Blondel, devoted to the king. Taking his lute, he went in search of the missing master. Many hardships and dangers fell to his lot, but Blondel did not lose courage, no matter how hopeless the search seemed to him. He walked along the Rhine from city to city, from castle to castle, he searched on the banks of the Danube. He questioned the warriors, knightly knights and pilgrims, but none of them heard anything about the fate of his master.
So the singer got to Durnstein. His faith in the success of the protracted search was almost exhausted. Sadly, not hoping for anything, he climbed the hill, sank to the ground in front of the powerful towers of the castle, looked out over the Danube valley and sang his song. It was a melody that only his master knew; before going to the Land of the East, he performed it to the king for the last time. Having finished the first stanza to the end, he felt such sorrow in his heart that, unable to utter a sound anymore, he was mournfully silent. And then it seemed to him that from somewhere behind the high thick walls of the castle a certain voice responded to his singing, quiet, muffled, but still clear and intelligible. As if spellbound, the singer listened to these sounds. No, he was not mistaken! It was his master who sang the second stanza of the song!
Now Blondel knew that the king was still alive, and even knew the place of his imprisonment. The faithful spielman hurried back to England, spread the news of the king's fate everywhere, and did not rest until Richard was released for a huge ransom.
In the spring of 1193, Richard the Lionheart was issued to the emperor, who soon allowed him to return to his patronymic.

Schreckenwald Rose Garden at Aggstein Castle

After the Kuenringi found their inglorious end and their robber's nest was destroyed at the behest of Frederick the Warrior, Aggstein Castle stood for almost two centuries as a dismal ruin. In 1429, Duke Albrecht V gave the "desert temple", as Aggstein was then called, "destroyed in the old days for the atrocities committed by the owners, and now empty", to his faithful adviser and chamberlain Georg Scheck von Wald, allowing him to re-erect the castle walls. For seven years, the knight's subjects groaned under the unbearable burden of the labor imposed on them, laying stone on stone, until the castle took on its former formidable appearance.
In a strange way, the knight Sheck von Wald achieved the duke's favor - by lies and flattery. Skillfully pretending to be honest, he was actually greedy, arrogant and cruel. As soon as he settled in the new castle, he immediately showed his true face and began to sow terror in the Wachau no less zealously than the "Cuenring dogs" once did. He mercilessly oppressed his subjects, squeezing all the juices out of them. He so shamelessly abused his right to collect duties on the Danube that ships, as usual, left him cleanly robbed. Soon it was already known throughout the Danube valley as nothing but "Schreckenwald".
A particularly evil fate was prepared for his captives. He ordered them to be suspended on a rope above the steep in order to squeeze out the highest possible ransom from them. If there was no hope of getting a ransom, he pushed his victim through a small door in the wall into a narrow area, under which a chasm gaped. Here the unfortunate man himself chose: either to die of hunger in the throes, or to put an end to his suffering at once by jumping down onto the sharp rocks. The knight called this small ledge of the rock his "rose garden". Even then, there were legends about the "garden", and people shuddered at the mere mention of it.
For many years Schreckenwald traded with robbery and robbery and accumulated so much wealth that he managed to take possession of four more castles in the district. Once the bollards brought a young prisoner to him, who, judging by his appearance, was of a noble family, but refused to give his name. He, too, had to share the fate of many of his predecessors, he was also pushed into the "pink garden". But the young man turned out to be a brave and dexterous climber. He measured the depth of the abyss with his gaze, noticed the thick crowns of ancient mighty trees below, entrusted his fate to the Lord and fearlessly jumped down. He fell on one of the crowns; flexible branches softened the force of the blow, he managed to grab onto a thick branch and held on to it. In a moment, he safely descended to the ground. And it is not surprising to imagine what it felt like in his soul at the sight of this land, strewn with the decayed remains of the knight's former victims.
The rescued prisoner hurried into the valley, gathered knights and horse bollards from neighboring castles, watched Schreckenwald and took him prisoner. The robber finally received his well-deserved punishment and was beheaded.
Castle Aggstein remained in the possession of the descendants of the knight. However, the last Schreckenwald turned out to be no better than his ancestor: he also blocked the Danube with a chain and began to rob ships.
Once he captured a certain count, who, however, managed to escape from the castle with the help of a young man, the son of Mrs. von Schwallenbach. And while the count was in a hurry to Vienna to complain to the duke about Schreckenwald, the young man was thrown into the dungeon by order of the robber knight. After a short time, the owner of the castle, as usual, gave his bollards an order to send the prisoner through the "pink garden" after the others to the bottom of the abyss.
The young man was already standing at the edge of the platform, when suddenly he heard the ringing of the evening bell, which came from Schwallenbach. The poor man knelt down and asked the knight to give him a few more moments for his deathbed prayer, at least before the last blow of the bell was sounded. The knight laughed and said that he would willingly grant his wish; he was amused by this fool who, instead of asking for mercy, knelt and prayed to God. However, very soon the fun left him. The bell rang without ceasing; his ringing was not interrupted for a second, he called and rang, so that everyone present felt uneasy, and some bollards with hearts chilled with horror prayed to God that their master would release the captive. But Schreckenwald knew no pity; he cursed the mad bell and waited impatiently for it to finally be silent.
Many innocent victims were already on his conscience, but this young man survived. For before the Schwalenbach bell died down, Schreckenwald and his men had to rush headlong to arms. Captain Georg von Stein with his soldiers surrounded the castle and already entered the courtyard. The robber's nest was taken over by the besiegers. Thus, the miracle of the Schwalenbach bell prevented the death of the young prisoner. The last descendant of Schreckenwald lost all his wealth and died a miserable beggar.
The memory of the "rose garden" in the Aggstein castle is still alive among the people. In the Wachau, to this day, when talking about a person who is in trouble and who can get out of it only at the cost of a mortal risk, they use the expression "ended up in the rose garden of Schreckenwald."

Wine from the ruins of the Greifenstein castle

One poor day laborer was celebrating the christening of his seventh child. Since on such a joyful day one cannot do at least a modest treat and a sip of wine for his godfather, he bought a small jug of wine for his last pennies, which, however, was very soon drained. With a dry throat, as you know, there was no time for fun, but since the owner's wallet was completely empty, he decided to at least show his goodwill and held out eldest daughter jug with the words:
- Go and bring us some wine!
The girl asked him for money, but he answered her jokingly:
“You don’t need money. Go upstairs to the ruins of the castle, there you will be given wine without any payment. There, in the cellars - a whole sea of ​​wine!
The girl did not force herself to beg for a long time and hurried up the hill to the castle. By the time she reached the ruins, it was already completely dark, but there were lights in all the windows, and although the castle had been empty for hundreds of years, now there was a lot of fun. At the gate stood a beautiful woman in a white robe with a large bunch of keys at her waist. Without further questioning, she took the jug from the girl's hands and told her to wait. After a short time, she reappeared, handed the girl to the brim with a jug filled to the brim and said:
- Well, my child, take this wine to your father and tell him that as his thirst will overcome him, let him send you here. But just mind not telling anyone where the wine comes from.
The girl thanked her and went home with a full jug. Having tasted the wine, the guests unanimously declared that they had never drunk anything tastier in their lives. On the next holiday, the father again sent his daughter to the castle, and she again returned home with a full jug of noble wine. From now on, whenever there was a holiday in the house of the day laborer, he received wine without any payment from the cellars of the ancient castle. And each time a white woman appeared to the girl and filled the vessel she had brought.
But then one day, treating the neighbors who had come to visit and getting pretty drunk, the poor day laborer loosened up and revealed the secret of his wine. And when in the evening he sent his daughter to the castle again, she found, as usual, the brightly lit ruins dark, silent and dull. And no matter how much the girl waited at the gate, the white woman did not appear, neither that nor the next evening. Her poor father, by his talkativeness, deprived himself of the good wine from the cellars of the castle.

(verse translation from Wikipedia)

The money is gone, the man is gone, Everything is gone, Augustine!

Oh, dear Augustine, everything is gone. The dress is gone, the family is no more, Augustine is lying in the mud.

Oh, dear Augustine, everything is lost.

And even rich Vienna disappeared like Augustine;

Cry with me, everything is gone!

Every day was a holiday

Now what? Plague, one plague!

Only large burials, that's all.

Augustine, Augustine, in short, lie down in the grave!

Oh, dear Augustine, everything is lost!

Oh dear you Augustine, Augustine, Augustine,

Oh, dear Augustine, everything is lost!

THE FIRST LEGEND - "BASSILISK"

On one of the old streets of Vienna in 1212, on June 26, in the early morning, a terrible scream and scream spread from the baker's house through the yard, residents of nearby houses rushed out into the street and knocked on the baker's gate, a young man looks out with a deathly pale face and tells the following: as usual in the morning the young servant was taking water from the well and lifting the bucket saw that there was no water in the bucket and looking into the well saw something terrible there - a monster with the head of a rooster, the eyes of a toad and the tail of a snake and fell senseless to the ground .. Having decided to check the well alone from the daredevils of the assembled crowd, dares to go downstairs and a minute later the same terrifying cry is heard. The scary story quickly attracted a crowd from all over the city and among them a stranger happened to be who was a doctor and happened to be in the city. He was a very smart and educated doctor and explained to people that since ancient times the famous scientist Plinius mentioned this animal in history, this is the so-called Basilisk, a mixture of a mole and a rooster (a Basilisk hatched from an egg hatched by an old rooster and hatched by a mole), exhausting the fetid odor and turning everyone who saw him - to stone. According to legend, the Basilisk can only die if he sees his own reflection in a smooth mirrored stone ... That's when the young man, the baker, decided to go down to the well and show the stone to the monster, he killed the monster, but he himself did not even live until morning and died in coma..

THE SECOND LEGEND - "TURKS AT THE GATES OF THE CITY !!".

In the fall of 1529, when the Turks besieged the city and their tents stood at the gates, the entire population of the city was busy fortifying Vienna in order to prevent the enemy from entering the city. It was hot in the baker's house (again), after a hard day of work on fortifying the city, the young man still had to bake bread, because the next day he had to feed the city, and tired to exhaustion, the young baker took out tray after tray from the hot oven, dreaming of a quiet evening at a wonderful dinner in my thoughts, when suddenly the earth swayed under his feet and began to fall somewhere. A wild fear seized the young man and his first thought was that he needed to run away as soon as possible. A large hole with barely heard sounds opened in the floor and with a shudder the baker imagined the Turks crawling out of the hole .. But taking himself in hand, he realized that he urgently had to inform people about the impending danger, called the men and all night they filled the underground passage water, until that time the noise did not disappear. And in the morning, the population of the city, with a heart sinking with happiness, watched as the Turks left the city.

LEGEND THREE - "DER STOCK-IM-EISEN ...".

It was one of the Sunday days. In one small castle atelier already in the morning there was an impossible stuffiness and the hot air heated up the already restless atmosphere .. "Again me!" - exclaimed the young man. "Why me again?" , but no one listened to his voice and the master almost forcibly pushed the student out of the workshop: “Bring more clay! It's all over already, ”the man ordered almost viciously. As soon as the student went out into the street and slowly walked towards the moat, where he was supposed to take clay, nearby he saw children playing counting rhymes: “Oanikhi, boanihi, Siarihi, sairihi, Ripadi, bipadi, Knoll ...” And all the instructions of the teacher instantly flew out of my head, overplaying the children did not notice how it got dark and waking up quickly rushed home. The student quickly collected clay and went to the gates of the city, but they were already locked and sat down near the wall in frustration .. -The devil, the devil .. how could I .., that will fly in from the master, I would like this devil to be now to turn out to be in the workshop.! And at the same moment a little man in a dirty red raincoat and with three slightly frayed feathers on his hat appears in front of him. "Hee hee hee .." - sounded from the lips of the little man. you will have the key from the gate and you will not be punished for being late .. "- sounded after a chuckle." And you will be a famous master, very famous !! ". And the young man thought about it and asked what the devil would like in return. “Your soul,” a man with feathers said barely audibly .. Slowly thinking, the young man thought and said: “Why not, but on my part is the same condition, if I never miss the service in St. Stephen's Cathedral, you will serve You are always to me. !!!. ”“ Agreed, ”the man in red answered hastily. The next morning, a lot of people crowded around the workshop, and a very fashionably and elegantly dressed man clearly stood out among them. "This is yesterday's man in red, the young man thought, seeing all the same frayed feathers on his hat." I am ordering a chain with a lock, which no master can open, "this seemingly very rich man orders. The drooping master answers with disappointment that even the most famous key keepers cannot do it. “Your student is much more talented and smarter than all of you. “- objects the man with feathers ... To which he hears the evil voice of the master:“ If he does this, he will become my apprentice at the very moment ..! ” In less than an hour, a happy young man holds out the castle to his teacher who could not believe his eyes ... Time flew by very quickly, the young man wanders a lot, becoming known everywhere for his golden hands. returns to Vienna, where after a while he was forgotten so much that no one remembered the student who made the castle and throughout the city it is said who will open the castle, receive all the highest privileges of the city ... he wishes, sitting in a tavern, pretty drunk, reluctantly looking at his watch, getting ready for a church service ... "You will be in time!" Not far from St. Peter's Church, surprised and fearful, he notices that people do not go to church. Seeing the old woman, slowly wading away from the church, with horror asks her what time it is and why people do not go to the church service, to which the old woman nodding, replies, "It's already over!" - the old woman said in a raspy voice ... And the young man sadly trudged back to the tavern, noticing that people were slowly moving towards the Cathedral of St. Stephanie .. The old woman who confused the young man was none other than a witch, in collusion with the devil. Returning from the tavern, drunk and upset near the cathedral sees a man in red, only huge horns suddenly grow on his head, he picks up the young man and carries him high into the sky, and in the evening near the cathedral people see a dead young man .. And the tree that we see on the building Der Stock-im-Eisen ..., practically all pierced with nails, this is done in memory of this sad story itinerant craftsmen - key keepers ..

LEGEND FOUR - "LUCIFER AND TWO DEVILS"

Lucifer, Spirifanker and Springinker. From a very long time, a lot of black forces gathered around St. Stephen's Cathedral in the square, big and small devils circled around the cathedral looking for people, trying to seduce them. They used all the tricks to force people to commit sins and then calmly took possession of human souls. Flying around the church and examining every corner, Lucifer discovered a small hole in the stained glass windows of the church and three happy devils unnoticed entered the cathedral. They were attached to the capitals of the columns, to the key of the church vault and did not tire of admiring the golden decoration of the church. The inner beauty of the church, the spiritual purity of the temple in one short moment even awakened their desire to be kind, loving, tolerant ... But this was a momentary desire, which quickly disappeared again and after a short time they again indulged in tempting games ... The temptation of people in the temple was so much so that the church minister, hearing croaking, quacking, and clucking, turned to stronger preachers asking for advice and help in this situation and it was decided to catch the black forces, imprison them in a cage and walled them up on the north side of the cathedral ... and to this day we see small strange creatures depicted in bas-relief on the wall of the cathedral ..

FIFTH LEGEND - "SERVICE FOR SLEEPING ...".

As the chronicle of 1363 tells us: On Sylvester in 1363, the priest of St. Stephen's Church sat up after midnight, working on his sermon for the next year. Suddenly, all of a sudden, voices are heard outside the window, hurried steps, the muffled sound of an organ, as if people were gathering around the cathedral for an evening service. A little surprised that it could be at such a late hour, the priest leaves the house, walks up to the church and looks inside through the stained-glass windows ..... The consecrated cathedral is full of people ... Hastily returns, takes the keys to the church gates and passes through the cemetery heading towards the entrance to the church. Suddenly someone tenaciously grabs the priest, the priest looks around in bewilderment. ..... No one ... "Strange .." - thinks the priest, the cemetery is quiet .. and instantly forgetting about it, goes to the gates of the cathedral. “What could it be, the gates are open, the cathedral is full of people ... and fleeing the cold he quietly enters the church .. And only he opened his mouth to ask a parishioner nearby:“ What are you doing here at such a late hour? .. ”- how that hour hundreds of faces turned and stared at him with anger and reproach .. Looking at the priest who was reading a sermon, with horror he recognizes himself in him and looking around, sees more and more familiar faces .., at this moment the sound of a bell is heard and in one seconds the church was empty, as there was nothing. Returning to the house, he sits down again to work and with horror notices that he cannot finish the sermon ... The year that came was a terrible year - the year of smallpox ... and all the people he saw there were victims of this black death, including he himself ..

LEGEND SIX - "LUNCH ..".

Once King Rudolph passed the first Habsburg through the town of Lindau and offers him local taste fish, local rivers ..- pike .. In the kitchen, butchering fish, as soon as the cook cuts off the head, a mole falls out of the mouth, the surprised cook wants to throw out the pike, and orders to bring another. Meanwhile, the king, having waited for dinner, sends for the cook and indignantly asks what is the matter. And then the cook tells him this unpleasant story, to which the king replies: "The mole is the food of the pike, and this was supposed to be food for my entourage, and the pike for me .. prepare the fish and bring this food!" This is how the fish and mole dinner was prepared for the king.

LEGEND SEVEN - "MEASURES".

On the portal of the cathedral on the left side at the corner, we see metal slats, one 77.7 cm, the other 89.7. For what, is it really true that the fabrics of the merchants were measured, for what the circle ??? Maybe this is a measure for a baker's roll ??? And if there was less, they threw the poor into the Danube ..

LEGEND EIGHT - "JUDGE ..".

Again, on top of the portal, one person sits in a niche, who pulls out a splinter. This character is very often found in art, in our case it means the following: In front of the cathedral on the square in the Middle Ages (the time of the Babenbergs), legal acts were announced ..

THE NINTH LEGEND - “DIE SPINNERIN AM KREUZ” (“THE SPINNER AT THE CROSS”).

Far from the fortress wall of the old city of Vienna, on a small mountain there stood for a long time one stone cross and whoever left Vienna from the south side always passed it (and today, actually, too). Once there, one beautiful young girl warmly embracing her beloved, did not want to let him out of her embrace. It so happened that this couple, just recently married, was about to be separated, because the young man, who had dreamed of exploits for so long, was finally accepted into the knights and was going on a crusade .. Tears were coming to his wife's eyes every now and then ... the last click and the young man, with difficulty escaped from the embrace of his beloved. .. "- she whispered and watched the knights for a long time, until they disappeared from sight and heartbroken went home .. Lonely and cold she was alone in their orphaned house .. and every day she returned to that place to the cross, where the last once she kissed and hugged him so warmly .. Over time, she came more and more often. Bringing threads with me, a spinning wheel and was engaged in spinning from morning till night, not noticing when the sun was setting, not paying attention to the chilling wind or the scorching sun ... The merchants, arriving in Vienna, got so used to it that they fell in love with this young spinner, they always bought her products, and could no longer imagine this mountain with a cross without this beautiful girl .. Spring came and the knights were returning from a campaign. Peering into the face of every young man, she tremblingly expected to see her beloved ... but days and nights, months passed, and her husband never came to his beloved wife. In a fit of pain and suffering, she swears, turning to God, that if her beloved returns, for all the money she rescued from her work, she will hire a good master and put the most beautiful cross in the world ... Literally a few days later, when it was already dark and she was collecting her spinning wheel, going home, a silhouette of a man appeared in the distance, and the closer he approached, the slower his steps became. Her heart suddenly began to beat faster and stronger, she threw the spinning wheel and almost ran to meet him at a run. A little before reaching the mountain, he fell exhausted and exhausted to the ground .. When she ran up she tried to help him get up, and screaming, recognizes the man as her husband and her tear-stained eyes fill with tears of happiness .. The next day he says that he was in captivity and only love gave him strength and hope .. He pulls out of his shabby, blood-soaked and sweat-soaked shirt a surprisingly beautiful package, in which lay thin orange-red plants, from which an incredible aroma emanated. ... and it was Saffron. The column, which the best master built with the money of the spinner, is striking in the subtlety of architectural work today ..

LEGEND TEN - MINNENSINGER NEIDHART AND VILIOUS HOLIDAY.

A long time ago, when candles were still burning in houses, because people did not know what a light bulb was and they warmed themselves from an open fire in the stove on which they cooked dinner and even very rich people heated their castles and palaces with fireplaces, everyone was looking forward to spring, which already with the early cheerful rays, at least a little, but it warmed the cold houses and the nights became shorter ... Then in Vienna they loved the spring festival, which was called the Violet festival. Whoever first found a violet in the forest had to close the flower with a hat, hurry to the palace of the duke and duchess, report a joyful event, to which all the city people dressed up and happy, with music and dancing, went to the forest, where the young man showed the place with a hat, under which the cherished flower lurked ... and a holiday began in which everyone participated and the lucky man, who found the flower even had the right to invite the duchess or princess to dance and secretly each young man cherished the hope that someday he would be the first to find a violet .. And then one day in early spring a young man minnensinger - Naidhart, having found the first violet by chance in the forest, and already dreaming of how he would be the first to inform the Duke of this joyful event, he would be able to approach the Duchess and invite her to dance, did not notice how a young man was standing behind a nearby tree and secretly watching him. Happy and cheerful Neidhart, covering the violet with his hat, almost skipping ran into the city. Meanwhile, the young man hiding behind a tree, collecting brushwood and accidentally saw Neidhart, was from a village that was not far from Vienna and harbored a grudge against Neidhart for so long, because the young Minnensinger did not miss a single pretty village girl and all the village guys They only dreamed of revealing him, finally he could answer him ... As soon as the minnensinger disappeared behind the trees, the village youth went up to his hat, cut a flower and relieved this place, then covering it with a hat ... and very soon the horns were blowing somewhere at the edge of the forest forest, music is heard, and then a procession appears led by the Duke, Duchess and Naydhart, who proudly heads to this place. Approaching and raising his hat, he raises his head in horror and looks at the Duke and Duchess, stumbling upon a surprised and then angry look .. Glancing around the crowd, he sees a crowd of guys aside, among whom he recognizes the tree guys with laughter from under their brows looking at him and ... With almost one leap he reaches t guys, crashes and hits with a sword to the right and to the left. Watching this scene, the Duke understands what the matter is, forgives the minnensinger and the herald announces the beginning of the holiday. .....