St Veit an der Glan - Burg Hochosterwitz

To the east of St Veit, on a crag rising some 160m/525ft above the valley, sprawls the imposing Burg Hochosterwitz (681m/2,234ft; restaurant). After a turbulent history the castle - first recorded in 860 - was captured by the Khevenhüllers. Georg Freiherr von Khevenhüller (1534-87) finally purchased it. Faced with the threat of Turkish attacks (1570-86) he enlarged it, provided it with an arsenal and ordered 14 gates to be built. Never captured by a foe, the castle has remained the property of the Khevenhüller family to this day. The steep access road to the castle, the Burgweg (620m/680yds long), partly hewn from the rock, winds its way up through the aforementioned fourteen defensive gates, each of which is named (on the Khevenhüller Gate note the family coat of arms in white marble) to the beautiful arcaded Burghof (courtyard). At the northern corner of the courtyard is a well 13m/43ft deep. The little chapel has wall and ceiling paintings of 1570. The church at the southwestern end of the castle was rebuilt in 1586; the high altar dates from 1729. From Easter week to October inclusive there are conducted tours of the historical apartments (paintings and collections, including a letter from the Empress Maria Theresa) and the Khevenhüller armory.

The Burg Hochosterwitz is one of the most splendid castles to be found in Austria.