Kuenringerburg, the castle high on the hill above the town, is where Richard the Lionheart was incarcerated from 1192 to 1193. His crime was to have insulted Leopold V; his misfortune was to be recognised despite his disguise when journeying through Austria on his way home from the Holy Lands. His liberty was achieved only upon the payment of an enormous ransom of 35,000kg of silver (which partly funded the building of Wiener Neustadt). It was also here that the singing minstrel Blondel attempted to rescue his sovereign.
An easy, yellow path starts at the Kremser Gate (marked 'Burgruine'); a more difficult route begins in the Altstadt. It takes about 25 minutes to walk up to the ruins whichever path you follow. The ruins are great for scrambling around and there's an open-air exhibition of sorts giving background on the castle's history and the personalities associated with it.
