Der Wasserturm (Götzenturm)

The water tower (Götzenturm)

The Götzenhof in the north-eastern part of the town was traditionally owned by the so-called Lords of Röthelstein, named after the extensive castle and fortifications located approx. 2 km downstream on a steep rock massif above the Danube. Incidentally, Röthelstein Castle was founded around the middle of the 12th century by the Sonnberg family, who originally lived in the central castle on the Schlossberg. In the 13th century, they were among the most powerful town ministers of Hainburg. The Götzenhof served them primarily as a power base in the town, as well as for the management of their vast estates and fishing grounds in the Danube floodplains opposite, and undoubtedly also for Danube trade. The only, but extremely monumental, remnant of the Götzenhof is the octagonal Götzenturm, built in the first half or shortly after the middle of the 13th century, which forms the north-east corner of the town fortifications. Its 1st and 2nd storeys were used exclusively for military purposes (mainly to cover the nearby harbour area), while the 3rd storey with its late Romanesque double windows undoubtedly served a representative residential function. The adjoining eastern city wall is probably one of the few parts of the city fortifications which, like the Vienna and Hungarian gates and the castle's curtain wall, had an external defensive gallery from which attackers could be effectively fought from above.

This information was kindly provided by Mr. Scholz and Mr. R. Woldron. Many thanks to the Monuments Office, the Vienna City and Provincial Archives, the Boltzmann Institute and the Lower Austrian Provincial Archives.