Austria's Hochosterwitz Castle: A Fairy-Tale Fortress on a Carinthian Rock

Hochosterwitz Castle is a medieval castle in Carinthia, in southern Austria. It is considered one of the country's most impressive castles and draws visitors with its fairy-tale look. The details come from a travel account published by the Latvian news site Delfi. Its authors visited the castle this summer while on holiday in neighbouring Slovenia. They changed their route and crossed into Austria specifically to see it.

What makes it a fairy-tale castle

According to the authors, a fairy-tale castle is made of details. At Hochosterwitz these are several turrets with pointed roofs, an asymmetrical facade and richly decorated gates. The effect grows stronger because a winding path leads up to the castle through those gates. Delfi's headline mentions 14 gates, but the available excerpt does not confirm that number.

On a rock above the valley

The castle stands on a rock. The castle's official website says the rock rises about 150 metres above the valley. The German-language Wikipedia article gives 175 metres. Either way, the castle sits at a considerable height and is visible from far away. Long before arriving, visitors begin to wonder how they will get up there.

The road as the main experience

The authors soon concluded that the most interesting part of Hochosterwitz is not the building itself but the road leading to it. The castle has many gates, and the path passes through them. The walk up is therefore a central part of the visit.

The available excerpt does not explain why nobody managed to capture the castle, as the headline asks. That answer appears in the rest of the article, which is open to subscribers.