Gösting Castle Ruins, Graz, Austria

The ruins of Gösting castle offer the perfect destination for a trek within easy reach of Graz. The steep but short ascent passes by the ‘Jungfernsprung’, the place from which, legend has it, the lovesick and grief-stricken Anna von Gösting threw herself to her doom. Further up, by the castle ruins, there are impressive views of the strategically important valley of the river Mur, Graz itself and the landscape around Gösting.

The castle was built in the 11th century and the first record dates from 1042. It was frequently extended until the 15th century as a fortress to provide protection against the Turks and Hungarians. It was part of the signalling fire system, which was supposed to warn the population in case of danger.

In 1707, the castle and domain were acquired by the Counts of Attems. On July 10, 1723, lightning struck the gunpowder magazine, and a large part of the castle burnt down. It was not rebuilt and in 1728 it was replaced with the new Baroque residence of the Attems family.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Nikolai Siurdyna (2 years ago)
Stunning!

Andrea Šandová (3 years ago)
Very nice place. 20 minutes out of village by food. Beautiful ruins of old castle. There is lovely house where you can buy something to eat And drink (soups And hot food). There is no electricity And water, So it is cooked in Black kitchen :-) Very good And interesting. I recomend to see And try it :-)

Marja Ehrstedt (3 years ago)
Nice walk aprox 30 min in beautiful hillside / forest and great views.

Oleksandr Serhiienko (3 years ago)
Cool place, easy to get!) Outstanding view)

Filippo Casamassima (5 years ago)
Very nice place, close to the City. On the Castle there is a small tavern, inside the castle! It is quite spartan, as is should be. The ladies there bring every day all the food. It was open also during winter, with Snow on the road! You can get a soup or a beer for 2-3 Eur.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Erik Christensen, Porkeri

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Kirkjubøargarður ('Yard of Kirkjubøur', also known as King"s Farm) is one of the oldest still inhabited wooden houses of the world. The farm itself has always been the largest in the Faroe Islands. The old farmhouse dates back to the 11th century. It was the episcopal residence and seminary of the Diocese of the Faroe Islands, from about 1100. Sverre I of Norway (1151–1202), grew up here and went to the priest school. The legend says, that the wood for the block houses came as driftwood from Norway and was accurately bundled and numbered, just for being set up. Note, that there is no forest in the Faroes and wood is a very valuable material. Many such wood legends are thus to be found in Faroese history.

The oldest part is a so-called roykstova (reek parlour, or smoke room). Perhaps it was moved one day, because it does not fit to its foundation. Another ancient room is the loftstovan (loft room). It is supposed that Bishop Erlendur wrote the 'Sheep Letter' here in 1298. This is the earliest document of the Faroes we know today. It is the statute concerning sheep breeding on the Faroes. Today the room is the farm"s library. The stórastovan (large room) is from a much later date, being built in 1772.

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The farm holds sheep, cattle and some horses. It is possible to get a coffee here and buy fresh mutton and beef directly from the farmer. In the winter season there is also hare hunting for the locals. Groups can rent the roykstovan for festivities and will be served original Faroese cuisine.

Other famous buildings directly by the farmhouse are the Magnus Cathedral and the Saint Olav"s Church, which also date back to the mediaeval period. All three together represent the Faroe Island"s most interesting historical site.

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