Glanegg Castle - Burgruine Glanegg

Glanegg Castle - Burgruine Glanegg, Glanegg, Salzburg, Republic of Austria.

   Glanegg Castle was first documented in 1121. Insights into an eventful history with a happy ending.

   A double anniversary celebration was planned for August 29, 2021, at Glanegg Castle. This celebration was postponed to 2022 (due to the coronavirus pandemic). 900 years have passed since the castle's first documented mention, and the castle association was founded 25 years ago.

   Glanegg Castle rises in a commanding position between the former ducal town of St. Veit and Feldkirchen. From the High Middle Ages until the 19th century, this imposing fortress served as a noble residence and defensive structure, a center of justice, and was responsible for controlling passage through the Glan Valley. The central buildings of the extensive complex are the Romanesque keep, the Late Gothic palace, and the chapel, whose foundations date back to the castle's founding.

   The castle was probably built around 1100. The identity of the original builders remains uncertain, as the historical record for this early period is too fragmentary. "However, when a document from 1121 mentions 'Glanekke' for the first time, clearly referring to a castle, the complex was within the sphere of influence of the Eppenstein family." Just one year later, it came into the possession of the Styrian margraves as an inheritance. The Lords of Glanegg soon resided at the castle as their ministeriales (servants). Numerous changes of ownership followed. The Ernau family, who received the castle as collateral from the sovereign, remodeled it so comfortably at the dawn of the modern era that "one could have lived there."

   Over the centuries, the imposing fortification had transformed into a palace and adapted its structure to the latest advancement in warfare: firearms. Thus, the castle withstood a siege by the Turks at the end of the 15th century. Even the Hungarian raids and plundering expeditions couldn't harm the formidable ruler of the Glan Valley. But its most glorious days were soon numbered. After the Ernau family sold Glanegg following their expulsion as Protestants, the castle remained in relatively good condition until the 17th century, but then fell victim to Joseph II's roof tax. To save money, the castle's roofs were removed. This sealed the slow but certain decline of the once magnificent structure.

   But as the saying goes, when things go wrong, it's not necessarily the end. The municipality leased the ruins from the Zwillink family and entrusted them to the Glanegg Castle Association for revitalization. That was in 1996. In 2021, after 25 years of hard work by the volunteer members of the association, the 900-year-old castle shines again in new splendor: "Approximately 1 million euros and over 30,000 hours of work had been invested by then. As part of the 'EU LEADER project Triangulum,' archaeological and architectural history investigations were also carried out, which brought many new insights to light."

The castle's defining years

1121: The castle was first mentioned in 1121 by Duke Henry III of the Eppenstein dynasty (Adalbero's grandson). He was a very loyal duke to the emperor. At that time, Emperor Henry V of the Salian dynasty reigned. After Duke Henry's death (1122), his nephew, Count Bernhard of Spanheim, inherited the castle. He, in turn, bequeathed the castle to a nephew, Margrave Ottokar II of Styria. The castle was then administered by Styrian ministeriales, who called themselves Lords of Glanegg.

In 1185, Ottokar II, by then Duke of Styria, bequeathed the castle to the Babenberg Duke Leopold V upon his death. He granted the castle as a fief to the following lords, with inheritance rights: Reimpert von Murek, Rudolf von Ras, and Reimbert von Glanegg.

In 1424, Glanegg became a sovereign possession and a regional court under Duke William, succeeded by Ernest the Iron, who bequeathed the castle to his son Frederick III (Holy Roman Emperor, Habsburg dynasty

n 1473, the Glan Valley was threatened by the Turks until 1478. They were unable to harm the castle, nor could the Hungarian raiding parties afterward. Emperor Frederick III bequeathed the castle to his son, Emperor Maximilian I, who in turn bequeathed it to his grandson, Emperor Ferdinand I.

In 1534, due to heavy debts, Emperor Ferdinand pledged the castle to Ulrich von Ernau, who later acquired it entirely. bought and converted it into a castle. In 1588, the heirs of Ulrich von Ernau, who died in 1540, acquired full ownership of Glanegg Castle.

In 1630, the property changed hands several times, including Johann Weber von Ehrental, Kronegg, Seenuhs, Windischgrätz, and Aschau.In 1713, it belonged to Count Stampfer, who had the first road built through the Glan Valley (the old road led via St. Martin, Kallitsch, and across the Glan River at Mautbrücken), where tolls were collected until 1775.

In 1802, a Mr. Kirn bought the castle, followed by Count Batthyany in 1806, and Court Judge Hirzegger von Ossiach in 1818. His daughter, Josefine, married a Mr. Klinzer and brought Glanegg Castle with her as part of her dowry.

In 1830, Klinzer built the Mautbrücken estate, and the young family moved into the.