Burg Deutschlandsberg

Burg Deutschlandsberg stands on a 511-metre rock outcrop above the Laßnitz river in the Austrian province of Styria. The river cuts through the wild romantic Klause valley to the east. At the foot of the castle hill lies the town of Deutschlandsberg, whose landmark the castle forms. The site is protected as a historic monument, with the core area covering several parcels of land. Nearby ground plots mentioned in literature extend the recognised castle precinct. A protected soil site of the old castle, the Tanzboden, is also recorded in the land-use plan. The hill has been settled since prehistoric times, with traces from the Stone Age and later periods. A fortified settlement stood here in the Hallstatt era, and late Iron Age buildings are documented near today’s car park. Finds point to a predecessor fortification from the 10th or 11th century. Excavations in 2015 and 2016 uncovered nearly 48 000 pottery fragments and thousands of animal bones. In the 12th century a stone keep was built under Archbishop Konrad I and given to the Lonsberg ministerials. The castle is first mentioned in 1185 and 1188 as Lonsperch. Visitors reach the castle through the town and up the steep slope. The rebuilt Romanesque tower now serves as a museum with four storeys and a tent-like roof. Below it the core castle has been restored and a new ring wall added along the cliff above the Laßnitz gorge. The main tower wears a steep 15-metre roof of titanium-zinc, echoing 19th-century form. The castle chapel, dedicated to St Ruprecht, preserves its original dedication. Guided tours explain the medieval cistern system that once purified rainwater for the garrison.