High above the city of Kapfenberg, birds of prey, songbirds, owls and falcons use one of the most beautiful vantage points in and around Kapfenberg as a starting point for their sightseeing flights. For several years now, Oberkapfenberg Castle has housed the bird zoo and ensures the welfare of the animals with large, well-kept aviaries, the best food and regular, healthy exercise.
Between April and October the falconry invites young and old to the exciting and informative demonstrations. Every Wednesday to Sunday at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. you can admire and experience our snowy owl “Flaumi” or our steppe eagle “Kreka”, for example.
Falconer days -. If you register in advance, you can spend a whole day sniffing out the craft of falconry and getting up close and personal with the wonderful animals. We are happy to offer this experience in private or individually to enable the best possible care.
Our birds also benefit directly from sponsorships as gifts for animal lovers or enthusiastic guests. These are also valid as an annual ticket for the flight demonstrations and include a board on our sponsorship wall and a beautiful certificate.
We look forward to you!
But falconry is much older and was part of Oberkapfenberg Castle in the Middle Ages. More than 3,500 years ago as a form of hunting - the so-called pickling hunt - falconry came to Europe with the crusades. It became the prestige sport of the nobility and was considered the highest art of hunting. With the advent of firearms, environmental toxins and the restriction of the habitat, the hunt was almost forgotten and many birds of prey, falcons and owls were driven to the brink of extinction.
Today our tasks have become diverse and enormously important. In addition to the educational work in the flight demonstrations, where we bring our guests closer to the animals, their special features and the importance of their protection, the preservation of the UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of the oldest forms of hunting still practiced. Most important, however, is the work of falconry in breeding, reintroducing decimated or threatened species, and caring for injured wild animals.
Animals from different continents, such as our turkey vulture "Rodrigo" from South and Central America, our African fish eagles, our saker falcons "Nari" and "Shogun" from Asia, our common raven Dodo from Europe or our snowy owl "Flaumi" from the far north Europe, Asia and America find a home with us. In free flight, the various hunting techniques and special abilities of the animals are shown and explained, the proximity of the visitor stands to the flight paths of the animals is what sets us apart and so one or the other time we ask for help in the form of retracting the head. A visit to the aviaries rounds off the visit to the zoo. Even in bad weather and on selected days during the season, we offer a unique and interesting program "Fascination Falconry", in which a lot of visual material to touch and a detailed tour of the aviaries of the animals is offered.
Our falconry days are another highlight for particularly interested visitors. If you register in advance, you can spend a whole day sniffing out the craft of falconry and getting up close and personal with the wonderful animals. We are happy to offer this experience in private or individually to enable the best possible care.
Our birds also benefit directly from sponsorships as gifts for animal lovers or enthusiastic guests. These are also valid as an annual ticket for the flight demonstrations and include a board on our sponsorship wall and a beautiful certificate.
Our successful breeding of eagle owls is particularly gratifying. Every year, our pair of eagle owls, Barbie and Alberich, raise adorable chicks, which can also be viewed from a certain age. The little ones develop a healthy curiosity after a few weeks and can be observed on their clumsy exploratory tours.