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Castle Waldstein

VR glasses compatible (e.g. Quest 3)

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The Waldstein ruins - the larger of the two complexes that once belonged together organizationally - can be viewed as the main castle, the Hungerturm ruins as their outer bailey. The complex has been falling into disrepair since the 16th century and is only shown as a ruin without roofs in the background on the copper engraving by Vischer around 1680. The dry, sunny location and the green walls create a fairytale-like, enchanted effect. However, the area is closed to visitors due to its dilapidation.
The facility appears rather small at first glance. However, it was provided with extensive outbuildings - walls outside the actual core castle that could be used as gardens or something similar and offered an initial defensive wall. Some of the remains of these walls can be seen quite clearly in the picture above.
The tower (keep) is interesting: if these mostly oldest parts of a castle complex have a rectangular or square floor plan, this one is triangular. Very rare.
Ceilings or false ceilings are no longer preserved today, with the exception of a room with a barrel vault that directly adjoins the chapel.
In the small castle courtyard you can see the circular hole of the cistern - there was probably no running water or well water.

The castle chapel can be considered a gem. It has a well-preserved Romanesque, semicircular apse with small windows.

Help for the tour

The virtual tour is best experienced in full screen (double click on the image or click on the button at the bottom right), on a large PC monitor with headphones or speakers. Simple reconstructions of the former building structure become visible under the mouse cursor (or when touching the touchscreen). Small details are pointed out using information symbols.
At the top right, an orientation plan and/or a map can be activated, at the right edge the music can be set to mute, a compass can be hidden or shown and switched to English.
If you activate the home button at the top of the screen, you get to the aerial photo/overview and back again.
The tour, like all the others, can be experienced with VR glasses such as a Quest 3. Without additional software – simply enter the URL of this page in the browser of the glasses, activate the VR button that is then visible there – done.

Georg Matthäus Vischer around 1680. In the foreground the 'new' Waldstein Castle, in the background the 'old' Waldstein Castle is already in ruins. Vischer wasn't exactly known for geographically coherent depictions. In this engraving, the entire mountain ridge with the 'Hunger Tower Ruin' belonging to the Waldstein ruins is missing. It is also questionable whether the geometry shown fits Alt-Waldstein Castle, as it is also called.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burgruine_Waldstein
https://wehrbauten.at/stmk/steiermark.html?/stmk/waldstein/waldstein.html
https://www.burgenwelt.org/oesterreich/waldstein/object.php
https://www.burgenseite.com/hungerturm_txt.htm
http://ruine.at/hungerturm.htm
http://www.steirischer-burgenverein.at/burgen/burg.php?page=burg&burg=11

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