Fortress Hohenwerfen

The Hohenwerfen Fortress is no mere castle in a beautiful location, but a perfect example of how geology and power intertwine. High on a hard limestone cliff, more than 100 meters above the Salzach River, the castle overlooks a narrow passage in the valley. Here, the river carves a canyon-like path through a massive block of limestone. This natural bottleneck makes the passage ideal for controlling traffic: whoever controls this gateway can allow, tax, or block trade and shipping. For centuries, trade was brisk along the Salzach River. Ores and metals flowed north from the south and the Alps, while the famous "white gold"—salt from the mines around Salzburg—was traded to other regions. The Archbishops of Salzburg used Hohenwerfen to secure and control this rich flow of goods. The shape of the valley itself is due to ancient glaciers. During the Ice Ages, enormous ice masses filled the valley, deeply eroding the soil and creating a wide U-shaped valley. When the ice melted, the meltwater cut into the rock like a knife, forming the narrow gorge that we see today. Right there, on top of the rock, stands this impressive fortress.

Pascal Brackman