The fortified settlement on the Schlossberg in Pitten

There was already a fortification on the Schlossberg in Pitten in the Bronze Age (around 1500 BC), which was rebuilt and extended in the early Middle Ages (9th century AD) and formed the center of a lordship.

The municipality of Pitten is located on the border between Bucklige Welt and Steinfeld and occupies a special historical place in the south-east of Lower Austria as an early central location. This is shown by traces of settlement on the Schlossberg, which was probably fortified from the late Bronze Age onwards.

The Bronze Age burial ground

However, the most significant finds from the Bronze Age come from the area of the village of Pitten, which is now built up. There was a large burial mound here, which had already been covered by alluvial sand in ancient times and was excavated in the 1970s following chance discoveries. The bronze diadems, spiked disks and long robe pins from the women's graves of the upper classes are remarkable.

The early medieval castle

We owe our knowledge of the settlement on the castle hill to chance finds and excavations between 1977 and 1978 and 2012 and 2014. The early medieval manor house was probably located on the westernmost part of the castle hill, the elevated "castle rock" that slopes down on three sides, where the medieval-modern castle stands today. The adjoining 2.5-hectare settlement area to the east ("Burgfeld") was secured by ramparts and ditches. To the south below the castle field was another settlement terrace. An extensive system of ramparts and ditches secured the entire complex to the east. There were at least two burial sites, one on the southern terrace and one to the east of the ditch of the upper castle field. Clay vessels, an axe and projectile points were found in three graves here.

The early medieval use of the area probably began in the second half of the 9th century. At the present state of research, it is not possible to say when the complex was abandoned and whether this was caused by the Hungarian invasions of the 10th century, but there are currently no indications of a violent end to the complex.

The castle complex, mentioned in written sources as "castellum Butinu(m)", was resettled in the 11th century at the latest and served as the regional center of power of the important Counts of Formbach.

Tip: The PIZ1000 - Pitten Regional Museum traces the village's rich past with valuable finds.