Burg Kreuzenstein is a castle near Leobendorf in Austria situated at an altitude of 265 meters. It was constructed on the remains of an early medieval castle that had fallen into disrepair and was then demolished during the Thirty Years’ War. Intended to be a family vault for the Wilczek family, it was rebuilt in the 19th century by Count Nepomuk Wilczek with money from the family’s Silesian coal mines.
Kreuzenstein is interesting in that it was constructed out of sections of medieval structures purchased by the family from all over Europe to form an authentic-looking castle. Thus, the castle can be considered both a ‘neo-‘ and ‘original’ medieval structure.
The castle is sometimes used as a location for films:
- The German horror film Castle of the Creeping Flesh (Im Schloß der blutigen Begierde) was filmed there by Adrian Hoven in 1968. Hoven is best known as the director of Mark of the Devil II.
- The 1971 sex comedy horror film The Vampire Happening featured scenes shot at Burg Kreuzenstein.
- The 1972 Italian horror film Baron Blood (Gli orrori del castello di Norimberga) was shot there by Mario Bava
- In 2011, the castle was used in Season of the Witch (2011), starring Nicolas Cage.
