Burgruine Griffen

Burgruine Griffen stands on a limestone mountain 130 metres above the town of Griffen in Carinthia. The castle was built between 1124 and 1146 at the order of Bishop Otto of Bamberg. Emperor Friedrich I mentioned the castle in a deed from 1160 as a Bamberg property. In 1292 Count Ulrich von Heunburg, supported by Archbishop Konrad IV of Salzburg, occupied the fort during an uprising against Albert of Habsburg. The castle was later returned to Bamberg after Ulrich’s allies abandoned him.

The castle was expanded around 1520 to protect against Ottoman threats, though the Turks never attacked Griffen. In 1759 Bishop Adam Friedrich sold the Bamberg estates in Carinthia to Maria Theresa of Austria, and the castle became part of the Carinthian duchy. A large reconstruction increased the castle’s area to about 4,000 square metres. Below the mountain lies the Griffener Tropfsteinhöhle, a dripstone cave discovered late in World War II.

Visitors find the ruins of the castle scattered across the hilltop, with walls and foundations still standing. The dripstone cave inside the mountain stretches for 485 metres and has been open to the public since 1957. The cave features stalactites and stalagmites formed over centuries. The view from the castle ruins overlooks the town of Griffen and the surrounding Carinthian landscape. The site offers a mix of history and natural beauty, with the cave adding an underground attraction.