October 9, 2024, 6:24 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
The small Austrian town of Gmunden in the Salzkammergut region is home to a very special castle. Situated partly in the middle of Lake Traunsee, the castle town offers a truly magical backdrop and has even been the setting for a popular TV series. However, the town became famous mainly because of an extremely unpopular ruler, whose cruelty caused a riot and cost countless people their lives.
Anyone visiting the small town of Gmunden in the Austrian Salzkammergut region will most likely want to see one of the most beautiful old fortresses in the Alps. Situated partly in the middle of Lake Traunsee, the venerable Schloss Ort (Ort Castle) looks like something out of a storybook. Accessible via a wooden bridge from the mainland, the walls do indeed offer such a dreamlike backdrop that, for eight years, they were even the setting for a television series named after it. However, it sadly became famous due to a cruel owner.
According to the official website of Gmunden, Schloss Ort was first mentioned in a document in 909. This makes it one of the oldest buildings in the Salzkammergut. From the end of the 11th century, the Knights of Ort were its lords, who also gave it its current name. Over the centuries, the manor house has changed hands several times. The most notorious of these, however, was probably Adam Graf von Herberstorff. He earned his dubious reputation through his particular cruelty.
Terrible revenge
According to “WELT“, the Bavarian Duke Maximilian I appoints his favorite Herberstorff as governor of Upper Austria in 1618. This also transfers ownership of Schloss Ort to him. As a result, the man’s strictness and high taxes turn the population against him to such an extent that an uprising breaks out. In 1625, 5,000 armed peasants march against Schloss Ort. Only diplomatic skill can save the castle from being plundered and persuade the rebels to leave. And Herberstorrf takes his revenge in a terrible way.
Although he had promised mercy to the peasants in order to persuade them to leave, he executes many of them on May 15, 1625. And this happens in a particularly perfidious manner. The ruler summons his subjects and then surrounds them with his soldiers. 36 men, whom he has identified as the leaders of the unrest, are then literally forced to roll the dice for their lives. The winner gets away, and the loser is hanged on the spot. The atrocity goes down in the history books as the “Frankenburg dice game”. Even today, a play is held every two years to commemorate the day.
Bloody uprising
In the aftermath of the bloody day, the unrest in the region continues to smolder until it finally erupts in a bloody peasant uprising in 1626. Up to 40,000 people rebel against the hated authorities and are only crushed on November 15, 1626. Up to 12,000 peasants lose their lives on this day. Only three years later, the cruel Herberstorff dies, and things become quieter around Schloss Ort. The castle changed hands again, and since 1995, the particularly beautiful building has belonged to the municipality of Gmunden.
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Schloss Ort becomes the setting for a TV series
Just one year later, filming of the popular TV series “Schlosshotel Orth” begins here, with more than 100 episodes being shot by 2004. Schloss Ort, the setting for the TV highlight, subsequently becomes one of the biggest tourist magnets in the region. According to the Austrian broadcaster ORF, the series still accounts for around a third of overnight guests today. The castle, with its gruesome past, is also extremely popular as a very special backdrop for weddings.
Strangely, according to the management of Schloss Ort, people still call the castle today, mistaking the building for an actual hotel because of the TV series. However, it has never functioned as such. However, you can visit Schloss Ort. It is open daily from 10.30 am to 4 pm from Easter until the end of October. Admission for adults is currently five euros, and only four euros for groups of 10 or more. The website of the town of Gmunden also provides information on prices for wedding arrangements and event hire.