Marktgemeinde Karlstein an der Thaya
Description
Welcome to Thayaland
Where the Thaya carves a winding path through the gneiss hills of the northern Waldviertel in a deeply incised valley, lies the village of Karlstein at 440 m above sea level, dominated by the medieval castle. The rocky steep slopes facing the river and the hills reaching up to 600 m are covered with forest. In between are fields, meadows and farming villages.
Karlstein Castle, built as a border fortress on a rock high above the Thaya - late Gothic castle chapel - a center of Protestantism under Adam von Puchheim (1576 - 1609) - withstood an onslaught by the Swedes during the Thirty Years' War and was never taken.
The watchmaking trade has been at home here for 250 years. Karlstein clocks were brought to all parts of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy by itinerant traders. Today's precision engineering industry developed from the former watch factories, most of whose products are exported.
