Hochosterwitz Castle, Austria

A castle of superlatives

Hochosterwitz Castle

Where is it found, when to visit, how much does it cost to access?

On the way to Seeboden we stopped for a 2 hour visit to Hochosterwitz Castle. You can sit quietly for 3 hours here so you won’t get bored. Our tourist destination is located in Carinthia, 133 km west of Graz via E66 / B82 and respectively 100 km from Seeboden via A10 / E66, from both directions it can be reached in less than 2 hours. The wider region is called Sankt Georgen am Längsee (6 km from the castle) / Launsdorf, and administratively the village to which it belongs is Hochosterwitz.

The castle can be visited according to the following schedule: in the months of April – May between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., in the months of June – August between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., in the months of September – October between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The last entry is made 90 minutes before the time closing. The full entry ticket costs 17 Euros, the reduced ones between 10 and 13 Euros. The return lift costs 10 Euros, one way only 6 Euros. For groups there are discounts of 2 – 3 Euro, per person. Prices are from June 2021.

About Hochosterwitz Castle

The Hochosterwitz Castle is built on a rocky hill, let’s call it a mountain(?), which rises 175 meters above the fairly level plan, plan of the area, so you will spot it in time and there are several places at the foot of it that are worth photographing . The height at the top where the castle is actually is only 660 meters above sea level, hence my confusion, whether or not to call the impressive and steep mountain on which the castle stands.

History of the castle

Archaeological evidence from the Bronze Age, from the Hallstatt and La-Tene cultures was discovered in the region, but most of them come from the Roman period.

860 – the first documentary attestation

until the twelfth century – administered by the Archdiocese of Salzburg

12th-15th centuries – belongs to the Osterwitz family, cupbearers of the dukes, when it was attacked by the Turks, Georg de Osterwitz becoming a prisoner

16th century – it was given to the archbishop of Salzburg, the period in which the fortress was expanded and strengthened, being then bought by Georg von Khevenhüller, the governor of Carinthia, who brought it to its present appearance, thus strengthening the line of defense against the Turks

Until today, it remains the property of the Khevenhüller family. On the left rear wall is an inscription showing that this castle remains forever in the possession of the Khevenhüller family.

1. First impression

It is great. It dominates the landscape, and down at its base you feel small, and the road to the top you think is for those well trained in mountain hiking. But, on one side, where the parking lot and the ticket office are, there is an elevator similar to the one that goes up to the Devei Citadel, on a dizzying line in 2 angles, with an inflection point. Also here at the ticket office, we find out that you can go up on foot without any problems, and I even recommend this option because it has its charm because it goes through 14 gates. There is also the possibility to go up with the elevator or go down on foot, but I assure you that you must not miss the gates and that the effort is much less than you imagine and the access is easy for anyone, even with breaks. I decided to go up and down per pedes and I congratulate myself for the choice I made. The charm of visiting this castle is to cross its 14 gates and then at the top, in the castle itself, to visit the museum. Come with me!

Each gate has a name and most have a year. I will play them as I went through them.

Burg Hochosterwitz

Castelul Hochosterwitz

castelul și liftul

2. Fähnrichtor (1575), Wächtertor (1577), Nautor (1578), Engeltor (1577)

Fähnrichtor (1575) is the first gate or entrance gate, let’s call it. It is beautiful, with a mural painting with 2 black-yellow and red-white flag bearers and… welcoming, isn’t it?. The position of the gate is a strategic one, because there is a rock on the left, and an inaccessible terrain on the right.

Waechtertor (1577) is the Gate of the Watchman. It is positioned immediately under the high rock on one side, on the other prominently above the area, having a wide surveillance radius. The gate is covered with marble, the windows have iron grills, and a staircase leads to a platform where stones could be thrown at the enemy.

Nautor (1578) is a gate with a narrow access road.

Engeltor (1577) is the Gate of the Angel. This gate has a drawbridge attached. It was built for the first time in the 12th century. It has a portal made of red sandstone, thus standing out. It also hosts a small exhibition of cannons (Guard Museum), uniforms and military equipment.

Muzeul Gărzii

Engeltor

Fähnrichtor

3. Löwentor (1577), Manntor (1579), Khevenhüllertor (1582), Landschaftstor (1582)

Löwentor (1577) is the Gate of Lions. Initially, lions were painted on the wings of the gate. I noticed a cross and a Jesus built in relief. And this gate had a drawbridge.

Manntor (1579) is the Man’s Gate. This is an interesting construction from a defensive point of view. The passage to it is made next to a wall from which the enemy could be attacked.

Khevenhüllertor (1582) is considered the most beautiful, having a round arch, a lion’s head and the Khevenhüller coat of arms. In a niche there is the bas-relief representing the castle’s founder George II Khevenhüller in military gear.

Landschaftstor (1582) is the Lookout Gate. From here opens a wide perspective towards the valley. We thus appreciate how much we climbed, without having felt a special effort.

belvedere

Landschaftstor

Khevenhüllertor

Löwentor

4. Reisertor (1575), Waffentor (1576), Mauertor (1575), Brückentor, Kirchentor (1579), Kulmertor (1576)

Reisertor (1575) is the Traveler’s Gate. From here opens a wide perspective towards the valley. We thus appreciate how much we climbed, without having felt a special effort.

Waffentor (1576) is the Gate of Arms. On this, above the round arch, the face of Archduke Karl von Innerösterreich (Inner Austria) is painted.

Mauertor (1575) is the Wall Gate. It is called so because of the walls made of chlorite shale.

Brückentor is the Bridge Gate. It has a vertical mechanism for the movable bridge at its base.

Kirchentor (1579) is the Church Gate. A short road branches off from this to the church of the fortress.

Kulmertor (1576). The „”Kulmers”” were the caretakers of the castle. It also has a grid gate with a vertical drop. It is the last gate before entering the actual castle.

The 14 gates and their additional defense systems have certainly made this castle very difficult to conquer, perhaps impossible. Imagine what it means to conquer gate by gate, so that we don’t have to consider that after you pass through a gate, the wheel can turn and you can be caught prisoner between two gates. But let’s see what he tells us…

vedere dintr-un turn

Brückentor

Mauertor

Waffentor

Reisertor

5. Burgmuseum

Today the castle houses the Burgmuseum (Fortress Museum). Documents and pictures depicting the members of the Khevenhüller family are exhibited here. In an external, separate room, we saw armor, weapons, but also a 20-meter cistern in which rainwater was collected, because until the 20th century the castle had no water.

coifuri și armuri

săbii și spade

familia Khevenhüller

ghiulea

6. Burgkirche

Burgkirche is the fortress church. The church can be reached from the penultimate gate. It has a well-kept yard where I was able to talk to the caretaker of the place. It is located a little lower than the castle, because from the penultimate to the last gate and then to the castle there is a further climb. Even though the church belongs to the castle, it was permanently open to the general population.

Burgkirche

Ceasul bisericii

Conclusion

For me it was a first to see Hochosterwitz Castle with 14 gates, but the 14 gates do not represent 14 entrances to the castle but only one because you have to go through all of them to get to the top of the „”mountain”” where the actual castle is . A stop of 2 hours proved to be insufficient for visiting the castle with its gates. The actual climb through the gates takes 20 minutes actual time. The more you climb, the more and more angles open up from where you can photograph the villages in the valley. Before leaving, I found another perfect place for a picture, this time at the bottom of the road that connects the villages.

The website of the castle is https://www.burg-hochosterwitz.com/.

Other objectives in Carinthia and the Austrian Alps

Raggaschlucht canyon

Fallbach waterfall

Malta Hochalmstrasse

Grossglockner

Krimml Falls

or at Seeboden.

All the best!

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