Hochosterwitz Burg is one of the most important medieval castles in Austria. It is close to Sankt Georgen am Längsee, the District of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia Klagenfurt shortly after, along the old road that led to Vienna.
What is striking in this way and that sudden rises in the green countryside of Carinthia perched on an isolated hill, visible for more than thirty miles away.
When Romans advanced over the Alps and invaded the current Carinthia, faced up to this rocky hill of conical shape that rises to more than 150 meters from the valley floor, its summit was a temple of Celtic origin.
place to control a wide valley, north of Klagenfurt, the place became a Roman fort (Arx Tauro) of exceptional natural defenses.
The site is mentioned for the first time in 860 in an act of King Ludwig II of France with whom he gave some of his own to the Bishopric of Salzburg . XI century the castle became a fief granted dasll'arcivescovo Salzburg Gebhard to the House of Sponheim as a result of the struggle for investiture. In 1209 the Counts of Sponheim Osterwitz give the family the hereditary office of butler.
This period sull'assedio the legend of the castle by Margaret of Tyrol, whose army was fooled and he withdrew the garrison of the castle when the last bull slaughtered, he filled it with wheat and threw it over the walls, pretending to have so many stores you can use them as projectiles. Of a legend like I already told you about the Predjama Castle in Slovenia.
In the fifteenth century, the last couple Georg was captured during a raid Turkish prisoner and died in 1476 without heirs, the castle then passed into the hands of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III.
In the next thirty years the castle was seriously damaged by the Turks, October 5, 1509, Emperor Maximilian I gave the castle to Matthaus Lang, Bishop of Gurk, who undertook a major restoration project.
In 1541 the Emperor Ferdinand I gave to the governor Hochosterwitz Cristof Khevenhüller. In 1571 Baron George Khevenhüller bought the castle and fortified it by building an arsenal and 14 gates on the only access road barrier is in fact making it impregnable. Since then, no major changes were made.
Currently the castle is still in possession of Khevenhüller.
The visit starts from the ticket office at the base of the hill. Is struck by the daring cable car that allows lazy people to get to the top without addressing the only access road to the castle continuously steep.
It is not our case, we naturally curious, and we prefer that the difficult routes to reach the goal, we choose the rewarding effort of the climb ... also because it will lead us to cross the 14 ports that are important fortifications and not without grace.
bought the ticket for 7.50 Euro's start the visit.
The first port labeled Fahnrichtor (name derived from the flag-wavers who report that the movements of the enemy the defenders of the fortress above) has a heavy, solid wooden door, covered with foil metal, decorated with a bas-relief dedicated to Margaret Maultasch which I have already written.
begin the climb.
The second door was called Wachtertor (or guards) and had the duty to protect the lower side of the mountain.
continues through the third door ( Nautor )
a small fortified garrison that had the task of slow the rise of the enemy toward the fourth goal. Engelstore , one of the largest ports in the cliff overhang, equipped with underground, capable of withstanding a full autonomy as a small fortress.
We got quite a bit and now you can admire the surrounding landscape from a certain altitude.
The fifth gate called Lowentor was equipped with a drawbridge.
The sixth barrier ( Manntor )
was equipped with special devices to prevent the enemy's advance toward the most important ports: the Khevenhullertor .
This tower is named after landowner George Khevenhüller and holds a bas-relief depicting the head of the troops who faced the Turks in 1578.
The eighth port ( Landsschaftor ) concealed a ingenious trick that the assailants had hurled into the abyss if they had managed to cross it.
The next three goals ( Reisertor ,
Waffentor,
and Mauertor )
are less complex and conspicuous only by having the task of slowing the progression of the enemy.
Twelfth tower, Bruckentor , forms a very effective bulwark that exploited its dominant position and a drawbridge.
The next door ( Kirchentor ) is now close to the castle itself
and anticipates the fourteenth and final tower: the Kulmertor also equipped with solid walls and a drawbridge, which was the last outpost before the walls of Hochosterwitz.
past the perimeter of the castle there is immediately clear why this was chosen for a site offshore defensive
the visibility of the whole district is perfect and it is impossible not to see movement from far away.
Take my eyes off the magnificent surrounding landscape, behind us we see the lovely chapel of St. Nicolaus.
In one wing of the castle is home to an interesting museum with armor of the sixteenth century,
artillery
historical paintings and a beautiful altar in gilded bronze in 1580.
The main facade is oriented to the west of the castle.
The courtyard is well equipped and has a snack bar open.
That concludes visit to this magnificent castle.
You can find some more news on official website of the manor, but, unless you know German, you will be of little use because the pages translated into Italian and English are pretty rough.
Best wishes.
