Gräfsnäs Castle Ruins

Sollebrunn, Sweden

Gräfsnäs Castle today consists of a heavily restored main building with barred windows and surrounding dry moat. The ruins are remnants of the original palatial fortress built in Swedish-French Renaissance style. The castle, which met with such a tragic fate, was constructed in c. 1571 and belonged to many different owners (like Leijonhufvud, Sparre and Holstein-Augustenburg families) before it was finally abandoned in the late 19th century. The tragic coincidence was that Gräfsnäs was damaged by fire in every one hundred years (1634, 1734 and 1834).

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Address

Kungsallén 39, Sollebrunn, Sweden
See all sites in Sollebrunn

Details

Founded: c. 1571
Category: Ruins in Sweden
Historical period: Early Vasa Era (Sweden)

More Information

www.alingsas.se

Rating

4.2/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Eric Jeurissen (11 months ago)
Very nice green environment, bbq possibilities and swimming / beach-like area. Nice ancient wooden houses
H Baramakeh (12 months ago)
Swedish historical place, nice place to see
Lars Andersson (15 months ago)
Ubuntu
averno schaller (2 years ago)
A very beautiful castle ruin that is surrounded by a park and forest. If you go to the south of the park you have a magnificent view over the lake Anten. You can walk down to the lake for a swim or just take a nice walk.
Olav van Gerven (5 years ago)
The ancient ruin of the castle in Gräfsnäs, Sollebrunn, is located at the end of a small road. Since we visited the place more then ten years ago for the first time, a local group of people have put a lot of effords to make the ruin accesable to the public. There is sufficient parkingspace close to the area. In close distance to the ruin, there is a swimmingarea and a small restaurant. If you ar not interested in the ruin itself, you can leave your car at the parkinglot and go for a walk or just sit on one of the benches at the lake and enjoy the view.
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The site was first mentioned in an 860 deed issued by King Louis the German of East Francia, donating several of his properties in the former Principality of Carantania to the Archdiocese of Salzburg. In the 11th century Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg ceded the castle to the Dukes of Carinthia from the noble House of Sponheim in return for their support during the Investiture Controversy. The Sponheim dukes bestowed the fiefdom upon the family of Osterwitz, who held the hereditary office of the cup-bearer in 1209.

In the 15th century, the last Carinthian cup-bearer, Georg of Osterwitz was captured in a Turkish invasion and died in 1476 in prison without leaving descendants. So after four centuries, on 30 May 1478, the possession of the castle reverted to Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg.

Over the next 30 years, the castle was badly damaged by numerous Turkish campaigns. On 5 October 1509, Emperor Maximilian I handed the castle as a pledge to Matthäus Lang von Wellenburg, then Bishop of Gurk. Bishop Lang undertook a substantial renovation project for the damaged castle.

About 1541, German king Ferdinand I of Habsburg bestowed Hochosterwitz upon the Carinthian governor Christof Khevenhüller. In 1571, Baron George Khevenhüller acquired the citadel by purchase. He fortified to deal with the threat of Turkish invasions of the region, building an armory and 14 gates between 1570 and 1586. Such massive fortification is considered unique in citadel construction.

Since the 16th century, no major changes have been made to Hochosterwitz. It has also remained in the possession of the Khevenhüller family as requested by the original builder, George Khevenhüller. A marble plaque dating from 1576 in the castle yard documents this request.

A specific feature is the access way to the castle passing through a total of 14 gates, which are particularly prominent owing to the castle's situation in the landscape. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre long pathway through the gates up to the castle; each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle rooms hold a collection of prehistoric artifacts, paintings, weapons, and armor, including one set of armor 2.4 metres tall, once worn by Burghauptmann Schenk.

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