Burg Perchtoldsdorf

Perchtoldsdorf Castle stands unusually in the middle of this market town at the gates of Vienna and belongs to the rare type of the tower castle, a residential fortification without a separate keep. The massive 13th-century defensive tower rises above a market square framed by plague column, town hall, and parish church. During the 1683 Ottoman siege the market burned down and most of its inhabitants were killed or carried off. Stone turrets on the wall-walk still bear witness to that catastrophe. Today the castle, the parish church, and the well-preserved tower form a dense medieval ensemble. The surrounding lanes are lined with heurigen taverns pouring the local Perchtoldsdorf wine.