Frauenburg

The Frauenburg is a ruined spur castle above the market town of Unzmarkt-Frauenburg in the Mur valley. Built in the 13th century by the minstrel Ulrich von Liechtenstein, it sits on a steep rocky outcrop that drops sharply to the valley floor on three sides. The site commands views of the old trade route from Austria into Italy, where the interests of Carinthia, Salzburg and Styria once met. A single winding road now leads up from the village, replacing the original approach that passed through several gatehouses. The ruins occupy a narrow ridge that stretches about 200 metres from south to north. The castle’s history is tied to Ulrich von Liechtenstein, who wrote part of his 15 000-verse epic ‘Frauendienst’ here in the 1230s. After his family died out in the 15th century the Stubenberg family inherited the site and added Gothic buildings. Financial troubles forced them to sell to the Schwarzenbergs in 1666, who later moved the estate office to Murau. A fire in 1861 and the collapse of the west wall in 1962 left the tower vulnerable until restoration began. Today the remains are protected and open to visitors all year round. Visitors climb a covered wooden stairway to reach the highest point, where the 13th-century keep still stands. Its four-storey walls are two metres thick and topped with a row of decorative battlements rather than a fighting walkway. Below, on the lowest terrace, the Jakobskirche preserves Romanesque foundations beneath its Baroque shell. Nearby stands the old schoolhouse and the former parsonage. The entire ruin is built of small rubble stone with light corner quoins, and the sheer rock faces on the southwest side show where extra height was cut away to keep attackers out.