Burg Hochosterwitz

LoginSave

This fairy-tale fortress claims to be the inspiration for the castle in Sleeping Beauty and drapes itself around the slopes of a hill, with 14 gate towers on the path up to the final bastion. These were built between 1570 and 1586 by its former owner, Georg Khevenhüller, to ward off invading Turks.

A Burgführer information booklet (in English; €4) outlines the different challenges presented to attackers by each gate – some have spikes embedded in them, which could be dropped straight through unwary invaders passing underneath. The castle also has a museum featuring the suit of armour of one Burghauptmann Schenk, who measured 225cm at the tender age of 16.

There’s a small cafe serving sausages, soup, rolls and coffee at the top. Regional trains on the St Veit–Friesach route stop at Launsdorf Hochosterwitz station, a 3km walk from the car park and the first gate, where a pricey lift (€9) ascends to the castle.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Vintgar gorge and wooden path,Bled,Slovenia

    Vintgar Gorge

    29.83 MILES

    One of the easiest and most satisfying half-day trips from Bled is to Vintgar Gorge, some 4km to the northwest of Bled village. The highlight is a 1600m…

  • Europapark

    Europapark

    13.09 MILES

    The green expanse and its Strandbad (beach) on the shores of the Wörthersee are centres for aquatic fun and are especially great for kids. The park's…

  • Heinrich Harrer Museum

    Heinrich Harrer Museum

    13.29 MILES

    One of Carinthia's most fascinating attractions is the Heinrich Harrer Museum, a former school now packed with items shipped back from Harrer's…

  • Logarska Dolina Country Park

    Logarska Dolina Country Park

    26.83 MILES

    This glacial valley, hidden between the grandiose peaks of the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, is a paradise for nature fans and those seeking out hiking and biking…

  • Aussichtsturm Pyramidenkogel

    Aussichtsturm Pyramidenkogel

    17.78 MILES

    On the hill southwest of Maria Wörth is the Pyramidenkogel, a hill topped by a 71m tower made of steel, with wooden beams spiralling up its exterior. This…

  • Pilgrimage Church

    Pilgrimage Church

    7.2 MILES

    Maria Saal, a small town perched on a fortified hill 10km north of Klagenfurt, is worth the 10-minute bus journey to see its early-15th-century pilgrimage…

  • Schloss Murau

    Schloss Murau

    27.98 MILES

    Built in 1250 by the Liechtenstein family, who once ruled the region, Schloss Murau was transformed into its present late-Renaissance form in the 17th…

  • Minimundus

    Minimundus

    12.96 MILES

    Down near the Wörthersee in Europapark, Minimundus has around 140 replicas of some of the world’s architectural icons, downsized to a scale of 1:25. By…

View more attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Pilgrimage Church

7.2 MILES

Maria Saal, a small town perched on a fortified hill 10km north of Klagenfurt, is worth the 10-minute bus journey to see its early-15th-century pilgrimage…

2. Bischofskapelle

11.14 MILES

This small chapel is part of the Dom zu Gurk and has unusually well-preserved late Romanesque paintings dating from 1263. One side is dedicated to the…

3. Dom zu Gurk

11.15 MILES

With its harmonious pillared crypt, the Dom (built between 1140 and 1200) is Austria’s foremost church from the Romanesque epoch. Inside you will also…

4. Stadthauptpfarrkirche St Egid

11.3 MILES

Climb the 225 steps of this baroque church's 90m-high tower for a bird’s-eye view of town and the surrounding mountains. Down in the church there are some…

5. Stadtgalerie

11.3 MILES

A thoughtfully curated program of modern and contemporary international and Austrian artists is shown at the Carinthian state gallery, which has its main…

6. MMKK

11.31 MILES

This gallery for modern and contemporary art stages three or four excellent temporary exhibitions a year based on its collection of Carinthian and mostly…

7. Alpen-Adria-Galerie im Stadthaus

11.35 MILES

Visiting art exhibitions are installed at the small Alpen-Adria-Galerie im Stadthaus, usually featuring local contemporary artists.

8. Dragon Fountain

11.4 MILES

Neuer Platz, Klagenfurt’s central square, is dominated by the 16th-century Dragon Fountain, the emblem of the city and one of Central Europe's oddest…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "austria/eastern-carinthia/attractions/burg-hochosterwitz/a/poi-sig/1114009/1334191",
  "position": "superzone"
}