Hochosterwitz Castle, Castle in Austria Top-Rated Tourist Attraction

Hochosterwitz Castle

Castle in Austria

Top-Rated Tourist Attraction in Austria

Hochosterwitz Castle is a castle in Austria, one of the most impressive medieval castles in Austria. It is located on a 172-metre (564 ft) high dolomite rock near Sankt Georgen am Langsee, east of the town of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia. Rock Castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction. Hochosterwitz is 664 meters (2,178 ft) above sea level on the rim of the historic Jollfeld plain north of Magdalensburg, about 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Sankt Veit. It can be seen from a distance of 30 km (19 mi) on a clear day.

A settlement site since the Bronze Age, the rock was first mentioned in an 860 deed issued by King Louis the German of East France, who donated several of his properties in the former kingdom of Carantania to the Archdiocese of Salzburg. It was then named 'Asterwija', a name of Slavic origin. It remained a Salzburg possession until the 11th century when Archbishop Gebhardt of Salzburg ceded the castle to the descendants of Count Siegfried of Sponheim in exchange for their support during the investiture debate. After Siegfried's grandson Henry IV became Duke of Carinthia in 1122, the Sponheim rulers were able to shake off Salzburg's authority. Later they paid tribute to the ministers of the Osterwitz noble family, probably a cadet branch of the Sponheim dynasty. In 1209 a Hermann of Osterwitz, who held the hereditary office of cup-bearer at the ducal court of St. Veit, accompanied Duke Bernhard of Carinthia to the coronation of Emperor Otto IV in Rome.

Since the 16th century, no major changes have been made to Hochosterwitz. It is in the possession of the Khevenhuler family at the request of the original builder Georg Khevenhuller. A marble plaque dated 1576 in the castle courtyard documents this request.

Parts of the castle are open to the public from Easter to the end of October each year. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre (2,030 ft) long path through 14 gates to the fort; Each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle's rooms contain a collection of prehistoric artefacts, paintings, weapons and armour, including a set of 2.4 m (8 ft) long armour, once worn by Burghoutman Schenck.

Hochosterwitz Castle can be reached by car or hike from the Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz train station with connections to nearby Klagenfurt.

A 1:25 miniature scale model of Hochosterwitz Castle can be seen at Minimundus, a popular tourist attraction in Klagenfurt, about 20 kilometers (12 mi) away.

Gallery

Looking northwest from the top of the castle

Battlements at the beginning of the path

Hochosterwitz in winter

Hochosterwitz in summer

Castle garden, with church spire in background

Hochosterwitz
Sankt Georgen, Carinthia, Austria
General view
Type	Rock castle
Height	664m.
Site information
Owner	Khevenhüller noble family
Open to the public	April–October
Condition	restored
Site history
Built	c. 860
Built by	Osterwitz dynasty

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