Greifenstein Castle (Carinthia)
The Schloss Greifenstein is located in the Carinthian village of St. Stefan in the Gail Valley in the center next to the parish church.
History and description
The history of the castle goes back to the 14th century and is closely linked to the castle and the Aichelburg family. After Christoph Vierthaler was enfeoffed with the Aichelburg in 1499, Graifenstein came into the possession of the Vierthalers as Allodium in 1502 , who already called themselves the Lords of Aichelburg. The “Stock im Gailtal” was already a stone building with a rectangular floor plan and probably served as a customs house since the 12th century.
In 1556 the building got its current basic form (year above the entrance gate), which is easy to recognize on an engraving by Johann Weichard von Valvasor from 1679. After fires in 1919 (addition of the castle wall with the arches and the addition of the oriel turrets), 1956 and in 1965 (complete conversion of the roof into a hipped roof) the interior was renewed and the park was redesigned. On the west side is the walled-in coat of arms of the barons v. Aichelburg. In addition to the actual castle building, the facility consists of an annex, which used to be the black kitchen, a castle chapel and several stables and utility buildings.
With only one short break (1722 to 1760: owner families Count von Grotta, von Schluga and von Caspar) Greifenstein was owned by the Aichelburgs until 1982. The last owner of this long line was Marie Elisabeth Freiin von und zu Aichelburg-Zossenegg, married Baroness von Dreihann-Holenia. The castle then passed to the Counts of Calice via the Princes von und zu Liechtenstein . The house is privately owned and cannot be visited.
See also
literature
- Georg Clam Martinic: Austrian Castle Encyclopedia - Palaces, castles and ruins. 1991
- Dehio-Handbuch, Die Kunstdenkmäler Österreichs. Carinthia. 2. verb. Edition, Vienna 1981, p. 611
- Hugo Henckel: Castles and palaces in Carinthia I. Klagenfurt / Vienna 1964, page I / 36 f.
- Eva Berger: Historic Gardens of Austria: Volume 2 Upper Austria, Salzburg, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Styria, Tyrol. Böhlau 2003, p. 400 digitized
Web links
Coordinates: 46 ° 36 ′ 57.5 " N , 13 ° 30 ′ 58.3" E