Schloss Lang, Feldkirchen

Schloss Lang stands in the village of Feldkirchen in the southern Austrian province of Kärnten. A small park surrounds the building, which dates back to the 14th century. The estate passed through many hands over the centuries, belonging to families such as the Pybriachers and the Jaborneggs. In 1810 a fire destroyed much of the structure, after which the Platzer family took ownership. Today the castle remains in private hands. The two-storey main building shows a 19th-century façade with a central projection supported by loggias. Two Roman-era votive altars for Jupiter are built into the double staircase, likely brought from Tiffen. A square defence tower with a pyramid roof stands to the north-west, linked to the main house by a curtain wall. Nearby, on the slope above, the Stampferturm survives from the old fortifications, first recorded in 1478. In the cellar medieval vaults from the early 1500s can still be seen, while the upper floor contains three Empire-style tiled stoves. The adjoining barn has brick lattice windows with louvred slats. Visitors walk through the small park to reach the castle’s entrance. The main façade presents a harmonious 19th-century appearance softened by the surrounding greenery. Inside, the preserved cellar vaults and the Empire stoves offer glimpses of past centuries. Outside, the linked defence tower and the Stampferturm on the hillside frame views of the surrounding countryside. The barn’s unusual brick lattice windows add a quiet architectural detail to the scene.