Location: Carinthia
Constructed: 1121
Glanegg Castle is a medieval citadel situated in the Austrian province of Carinthia. Its foundation date back to the 12th century.
Glanegg Castle is one of the largest medieval strongholds in a state of Carinthia of Austria. It was constructed in 1121 by Duke Henry III of Carinthia. After his death Clanegg Castle passed to his nephew Count Bernhard von Marburg. Glanegg Castle proved to be a formidable fortress between 1473- 78 when it was repeatedly attacked by invading armies. They failed to capture it. Glanegg Castle was called back into military service during the Sixth Coalition War in the late 18th century, but it was largely used as a barrack for soldiers and warehouse for troops.
The imposing, extensive fortifications originally had the task of controlling the passage through the Glan Valley. The building is made up of a wide variety of architectural elements, ranging from the Romanesque period to the Renaissance. The core is the Romanesque keep, equipped with a signal window. The huge round tower protecting the entrance is striking. The decay of the castle began in the middle of the 19th century, although the castle was said to have been inhabited until then.
Glanegg Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1121; The first
owner was the Carinthian Duke Heinrich III. from the noble family of
Eppenstein. After his death in 1122, his nephew, Count Bernhard von
Spanheim, inherited the castle. He also bequeathed it to a nephew,
Margrave Ottokar III. from Steyr; His son Duke Ottokar IV left the
castle to Leopold V after his death in 1192. Many other nobles also
called Glanegg Castle their own over the next few decades.
From
1473 to 1478 the Glantal was also threatened by the Turkish invasions,
but the Turks did not succeed in taking the castle. After three other
owners, King Ferdinand I ruled the castle in 1534, but due to high debts
he had to cede it to Ulrich II von Ernau, who converted the castle into
a palace. In 1588 his heirs came into full possession of Glanegg Castle.
After the Ernau family and the Carinthian Seenuh family, the castle
passed to Count Stampfer in 1713, who had the first road built through
the Glan Valley. During the Sixth Coalition War, the castle was once
again prepared for defense in 1813, but no military action took place.
In 1818 court judge Hirzegger von Ossiach bought the castle, whose
daughter Josefine married a Mr. Klinzer and brought Glanegg Castle into
the marriage as a dowry.
As a drawing from 1850 shows, the castle
was still completely intact at the time. It only began to deteriorate
after 1860, when it belonged to the wine merchant and mayor of Bregenz,
Anton Kinz: Due to the roof tax introduced by Emperor Joseph II at the
end of the 18th century, he had the castle roofs removed and all wooden
parts removed. Part of the complex was said to have been inhabited
towards the end of the 19th century.
Today the ruins are owned by
the Zwillink family. In 1996, the community of Glanegg leased the castle
for a period of 25 years and handed it over to the "Burgverein Glanegg"
for revitalization.