At the close of the 12th century the Babenbergs founded the town of Wiener Neustadt, financing it with the ransom raised for the English king Richard the Lion-Heart. Just a few decades later, work commenced on the castle. With its square plan and four corner towers, the castle had a completely new design at the time. Later it was repeatedly altered and extended by the Habsburgs. Emperor Friedrich III lived in the castle with his family; his son Emperor Maximilian I – who was to become so famous later as the “last knight” – was born here and also laid to rest here in 1519. Empress Maria Theresia used the mighty castle to house the first military academy, and it has retained this use, except for short periods, until today. The model has a special viewing platform to allow visitors to take a look into the inner courtyard with its famous painted coats of arms.
Dimensions: H: 2.28 m, L: 5.43 m, W: 6.03 m
Substructure: accessible cellar
Materials: reinforced steel, synthetic resin, aluminium brass, copper, sandstone, ornamental glass
Time taken: 6 Years
Model makers: HTL Wr. Neustadt (1990)