Gomarn Castle (Burgruine Gomarn)

Location: Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal, Carinthia

Constructed: 14th century

 

Gomarn Castle is a medieval citadel situated in Lavant Valley near a town of Bad Sankt Leonhard im Lavanttal, Carinthia state of Austria.

 

Building description

The oldest part of the castle is the thick-walled keep with a square floor plan and was built around 1300. The remains of the four-storey wall, some of which are still intact, date from the 15th century. The city wall is integrated in the southwest and is therefore an important part of the fortification.

 

History

The royal estate handed over by Heinrich II (partly as an allod, partly as a fief) undoubtedly formed the basis of the property around Wolfsberg for the possessions of the diocese of Bamberg im Lavanttal Property complexes around Wolfsberg in the Lavanttal and from Villach to Pontafel/Pontebba in the Kanaltal. The expansion into a large, closed property complex was only completed in 1425 with the acquisition of high court rights.

The Church of St. Leonhard, built by Bishop Otto I, appears as the first center in the upper Lavant Valley, which was then known as Gaminare or Gomarn. The name Gomarn derives from the founding of a Capella sancti Leonardi in Gaminare at the time of Bamberg's sovereignty in the Lavanttal (12th century). The place is still called "Gammern" in dialect today. In 1278 the castle of St. Leonhard was mentioned, which is in ruins today, but is still called Gomarn. The rich ore deposits in the immediate vicinity, especially the gold mining in the Kliening, led to the emergence of a town that was first mentioned in 1311 and received town rights and a keep from Bishop Heinrich II of Sternberg in 1325.

The castle ruins of Gomarn on the Schlossberg, first mentioned in a document from 1287, were once the seat of Bamberg's administrators. In 1762 the castle was engulfed in flames and burned down again in 1808 after being repaired quickly. The spacious inner courtyard now serves as an event location.