Hochosterwitz Castle
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Hochosterwitz | |
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Khevenhüller noble family | |
Open to the public | April–October |
Condition | restored |
Site history | |
Built | c. 860 |
Built by | Osterwitz dynasty |
Hochosterwitz Castle (German: Burg Hochosterwitz, Slovene: Grad Ostrovica) is a castle in Austria, considered one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. It is on a 172-metre (564 ft) high dolomite rock near Sankt Georgen am Längsee, east of the town of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia. The rock castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction.
Location
Hochosterwitz is 664 metres (2,178 ft) above sea level[1] on the rim of the historic Zollfeld plain north of Magdalensberg, about 7 km (4.3 mi) east of Sankt Veit. It can be seen from a distance of up to 30 km (19 mi) on a clear day.
History
A settlement site since the
In his book Change the Austro-American psychologist Paul Watzlawick (1921–2007) renders a popular tale of the siege of the castle by the troops of Countess Margaret of Tyrol (Margarethe Maultasch). According to legend first noted by the medieval chronicler Jakob Unrest and later by Jacob Grimm, Margaret, cheated by the Austrian House of Habsburg of her inheritance claims to Carinthia upon her father's death in 1335, invaded the duchy; her forces were however deceived and withdrew when the garrison of Hochosterwitz slaughtered its last ox, filled it with grain and threw it over the wall, pretending it still had so many provisions in stock that they could be used as projectiles. The tale is a common topic in the Eastern Alpine region, and it is known in many variations, with different characters.
In the 15th century, the last Carinthian cup-bearer, Georg of Osterwitz was captured in a Turkish invasion and died in 1476 in prison without leaving descendants.[4] Hans, cup-bearer of Osterwitz was the last remaining survivor of the family. He had a substantial debt owing to the Emperor and was forced to give up the deeds of the castle to pay his debt.[4] So after four centuries, on 30 May 1478, the possession of the castle reverted to the Habsburg emperor Frederick III.[4]
Over the next 30 years, the castle was badly damaged by numerous Turkish campaigns. On 5 October 1509, Emperor Maximilian I handed the castle as a pledge to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, then Bishop of Gurk.[5] Bishop Lang undertook a substantial renovation project for the damaged castle.
About 1541, German king
Present
Since the 16th century, no major changes have been made to Hochosterwitz. It has also remained in the possession of the
Some parts of the castle are open to the public every year from Easter to the end of October. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre (2,030 ft) long pathway through the 14 gates up to the castle; each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle rooms hold a collection of prehistoric artifacts, paintings, weapons, and armor, including one set of armor 2.4 metres (8 ft) tall, once worn by Burghauptmann Schenk.[6]
Hochosterwitz Castle can be reached by car or a hike from Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz train station, with connection to nearby Klagenfurt.
A 1:25 miniature scale model of Hochosterwitz Castle may be seen at Minimundus, a popular tourist attraction in Klagenfurt approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi) away.
Gallery
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Looking northwest from the top of the castle
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Battlements at the beginning of the path
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Hochosterwitz in winter
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Hochosterwitz in summer
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Castle garden, with church spire in background
References
- de Fabianis, Valeria, ed. (2013). Castles of the World. ISBN 978-1-4351-4845-1
- Kohla, Franz X; Gobert Moro (1976). Carinthian castle information (in German). Klagenfurt.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Khevenhüller-Metsch, Georg (2001). Max Khevenhüller-Metsch (ed.). Castle Hochosterwitz. Klagenfurt: Carinthian Bogendruck.
- Moro, Gobert (1966). "The Province of Carinthia, historical survey". Handbook of the historical places of Austria. Stuttgart.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
External links
- Burg Hochosterwitz Official Site (retrieved Nov 6, 2005)
- Burg Hochosterwitz Burg Galerie Official Site (retrieved Jul 3, 2010)
Notes
- ^ Hochosterwitz Castle Altitude and Position
- ^ a b Khevenhüller-Metsch,Georg: 2001, Page 4
- ^ Khevenhüller-Metsch,Georg: 2001, Page 16
- ^ a b c Khevenhüller-Metsch,Georg: 2001, Page 5
- ^ Khevenhüller-Metsch,Georg: 2001, Page 6
- ^ de Fabianis, p. 165