Burgruine Dietrichstein

Burg Dietrichstein stands on a rocky slope above the Glan valley near Feldkirchen in Carinthia. It once guarded a main route that linked Vienna and Venice in the Middle Ages. The site is linked to the noble family of Dietrichstein, who rose to the rank of imperial princes.

The castle’s origins go back to at least the 11th century, when a ministerial knight named Dietrich built it. After sieges by Margarethe Maultasch and Matthias Corvinus, the old fortress was finally levelled in 1491. The ruins still show parts of the Romanesque wall and late-Gothic masonry. A small castle was built at the foot of the hill around 1500 and later enlarged in the late-classical style.

Visitors today see the remains of the medieval enceinte and the outline of the keep and cistern. The later castle is a two-storey cube with a small roof turret and deep round-arched niches. A Roman relief from the 2nd century is built into its ground floor. West of the house stands a barn with lattice windows in brick. Nearby lies the Dietrichstein lake, adding to the quiet surroundings.