Castle Kreuzenstein

Castle Kreuzenstein looks just like a fairytale castle out of a children's book, only that
Cinderella doesn't
live there any more. Otherwise it has every feature that one expects of a castle; it is
surrounded by a
battlement, guarded by towers and has a draw bridge with a portcullis over the gate to protect
it. It also
has a castle chapel, an armoury, a knights hall, a kitchen and of course a well in its inner
court yard to
provide the inhabitants with water.
The original castle dates back to 1115 when it was called Grizanestein and its owners ruled
the countryside
around the castle for more than 400 years. The castle was virtually impregnable and was not
conquered until
the Thirty Years War when it had to be handed over to the Swedish Field-marshal
Thorstenson in 1641. When
the Swedes were defeated themselves they blew up the castle before they left in 1645. After
that the castle
was left to decay for several hundred years and local people used many of its stones to build
their own
houses.
Todays castle building was constructed on the site of the original one in the 19th century by
Count Hans
Nepomuk Wilczek. He planned it as a museum that gives visitors an idea of the life and
lifestyle in a
typical European castle of Medieval times. Count Wilczek was a famous art expert and used
items from all
over Europe from his own collection to fill the rooms with art and armoury in Romanesque
and Gothic style.
Since then, the members of the family Wilczek have maintained the castle in the builders
original style.
Guided tours through the castle take place every full hour from April 1st to October 31st. A
falconry show
and special tours for children make a visit to the castle an interesting event for the whole
family.
Of course many legends and stories evolved around this impressive castle and its inhabitants.
Id like to
tell the following one.
The Waterman of Kreuzenstein
It is told that hundreds of years ago an ugly waterman lived at the well of Castle
Kreuzenstein. His plump,
ugly body was covered with moss and snails, shells and water snakes lived in his long hair.
On moonlit
nights he sat on the rim of the castle's well and combed his hair and repaired his old green
coat. He got
terribly angry and threw stones at people if anybody dared to disturb him. However, he acted
nicely to
children; he smiled at them and offered them nice ribbons; or even little pieces of gold. He
also had a
lovely rosebush growing by the well but if a child touched a rose, the waterman rose from the
well and
pulled the poor child down into his water palace to stay forever.
One day a young maid had to fetch water from the well. She was glad that the water in the
well came high
enough so that she did not need to bend over the rim to fill her bucket. She filled her bucket,
pulled it
up and wanted to leave when she suddenly saw a red ribbon floating on the surface. She
stopped and thought
that this would be nice in her hair. She tried to catch the ribbon, but it kept slipping through
her
fingers. The maid bent over the rim and tried to catch it with both hands but at that moment a
green hand
rose from the water and snatched the girl and pulled her down. The watermans ugly face was
so close to
hers that through fear and shock she immediately became unconscious. When she woke up
again she was in a
beautifully decorated hall, the walls of rock crystal shone in the light of hundreds of candles.
She knew
that she was now at the watermans palace from where there was no escape and started to cry
bitterly.
After a while a door opened and the waterman came in, he beckoned her to come closer. She
got up, trembling
and begging: Please, please for the sake of God let me free! Since she had mentioned
Gods name the
waterman was only allowed to keep her for a year and not allowed to do her any harm. She
had to clean the
palace every day and make his bed of water lilies and cook him meals of water weeds.
When the last day arrived, the waterman told her: Now I cant keep you any longer and you
are free to go.
Since you have served me so well, I will give you something. You can take all the dust you
wiped from the
floor every day that is your reward. When you hear the bells of Kreuzenstein ringing, you
may go.
The maid took her apron, opened it, wiped the dust into it and closed it again. Suddenly she
heard the
chapel bells ring and she fell unconscious.
When she woke up, she was back in the castles courtyard. The apron in her hand felt
strangely heavy and
when she looked inside, she saw that the waterman had changed the dust to gold for her.