Mandling Pass Fortifications

The Mandlingpass fortifications are situated along the Mandlingpass valley pass.The Ennstal Straße (B320) runs through it, connecting Radstadt in Salzburg to Schladming in Styria.

In 890, King Arnulf of Carinthia officially defined the border between Salzburg and Styria. This was documented in a text called “Maior Medelicha,” which has since been proven to be a forgery. The border was established at the confluence of the Mandlingbach and the Enns rivers. However, the border disputes did not end there. In order to secure his territory against the Salzburg Archbishops, Duke Albrecht I had Mandling Castle (also known as Ennsburg) built here in 1287. Unfortunately, this castle was destroyed in 1289 during a military conflict with Archbishop Rudolf I. von Hoheneck, and it was later destroyed again. In 1295, King Adolf von Nassau granted permission to fortify the Mandling Pass for Archbishop Konrad IV of Salzburg. Additionally, the Peace of Vienna in 1297 officially established the border between Salzburg and Styria at this location. However, it is important to note that these agreements did not completely resolve all border disputes.

During the Peasant Wars of 1525, the peasants, under the leadership of Michael Gruber, successfully invaded Schladming through the Mandling Pass. They achieved victory against a Styrian army commanded by Siegmund von Dietrichstein, the governor of Styria. In 1629, during the Thirty Years’ War, there was a concern that Swedish troops might invade the Enns Valley. To address this potential threat, entrenchments were constructed at the Mandling Pass.The occurrence of a flood in 1661 necessitated the reorganization of the border. To resolve the recurring border dispute, the geographer Georg Matthäus Vischer was tasked with conducting a new land survey in 1677. His depiction clearly shows the Salzburg fortifications.

During the Congress of Vienna in 1814/15, an important decision was made to eliminate the federal border between the imperial and royal monarchy and the former prince-archbishopric of Salzburg. As a result, the archbishopric of Salzburg was granted to Austria. Consequently, the provincial border, which had transitioned into an inner-Austrian boundary, diminished in significance. Consequently, the defensive wall gradually deteriorated and was eventually partially demolished to make way for road and railway development. However, even as late as 1847, there were still two toll stations located in Mandling, specifically at the state border, and in Gröbming.

Today, there is still a wall with multiple bends that extends up the mountain from the street. Additionally, there are remnants of a bastion. There is a wall that is as tall as a man, with a mound behind it, that stretches all the way to the banks of the Enns. Work began in 2002 to secure the existing wall, with the aim of ensuring the long-term stability of the weir system.