Falke, the Baron Schreier’s castle, technically a schlöß because it locks several mountain passes, sits on a mountain peak three thousand meters in altitude, surrounded by wooded slopes, plunging river ravines, and rocky cliffs. Its estate extends into three valleys below to include many farms and villages.
At the castle itself, the grounds are surrounded by a crenelated wall studded with bartizans, bastions, and peels, with a guard houses of native stone adjacent to the arched entry gate. A large courtyard fronts the castle’s main entrance, which is protected by a portcullis, double gates, a three story gate house, and a narrowing zig-zag passage-trap called Fat Man’s Hug.
Past this is a smaller interior courtyard. Entering the castle, the main floor offers public areas such as the entry hall, various conversation areas, exhibit cases displaying archaeological and historical items from the estate.
There are also offices and larger meeting chambers to either side, to accommodate business or host tour groups and the like.
Just below the ground floor lie the kitchens, where a modern food court has also been installed. Beneath this, the wine cellars and pantry. Under all this, garages for the many vehicles, including space for parking and areas for repair. There is a fully-equipped gas station although in recent years most vehicles have been switched to electric. This area also includes the old stables, some of which stand apart from the castle proper in the rear corner of the grounds.
Back inside the castle, the first floor, above the ground floor, is apartments for guests.
The second floor is private apartments for the baron and his family, some rooms of which being two stories.
The third floor hosts the baron’s library, parts of which are two stories, with one part featuring a skylight dome.
The fourth floor is the open air gardens, which overlook the estate, affording breath-taking views of the surrounding mountains, waterfalls, rivers, forests, and valleys. To stroll the gardens’ perimeter is called Touring The Estate, and is recommended to first-time visitors.
Atop the fourth floor sits the penthouse, a gothic-style mansion modernized inside. It features flying buttresses, vaulting windows, and vast interior spaces. There are galleries, hanging balconies inside, and even a lofted organ depending from a corner of what was once the chapel like a cluster of grapes, which is how the mahogany is carved. To reach this, an organist must climb and have a head for heights, as the organ is perched twenty-two meters above the floor.
There are three towers atop the castle, each featuring pinnacle rooms that flare wider and offer spectacular views. These are often used as VIP guest rooms although only one, at the front of the castle, has had an elevator installed. Few guests savor the climb of 160 stairs, especially in the already-thin air at that altitude.
To visit the castle one must buy a modestly-priced ticket at one of the villages at the base of its mountain, then ride either the furnicular cars or take a bus or, for the more nostalgic, a horse-cart ride. Once at the top, tour guides will meet and gather each tour, leading their groups on a two-hour stroll through both history and modern luxury. Public areas of the castle are clearly marked and guards are available to herd any strays. Photography is welcome and don’t forget your zoom lenses for shots of the invigorating vistas from atop the castle.
Schlöß Falke is open to guided public tours year-round and is especially popular during the Yule season, when it is decorated in an array of festive local arts and crafts. Due to its setting, there is no bad time of year to visit; the area is one of ravishing natural beauty sure to create lifelong memories.
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/ from a dream, 7 August 2014
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