Top 5 Castles around Lavamünd

The Russian anti-aircraft vehicle next to the entrance gate is really bizarre!

Rabenstein Castle was built in the 12th century to protect the St. Paul Monastery in the Lavanttal. After a fire in 1636 it fell into disrepair, so that today only ruins can be seen.

There were a total of four castles with the name Weißenegg in the Austrian provinces, of which the castle near Ruden was probably the ancestral castle of the Weißeneggers. The oldest known descendant of the Weißenegger family is said to have been Wülfing von Wizzeneck, who is said to have lived around 1120. The castle was first mentioned in a document in 1243 as dominus de Wizenekke. Dietmar von Weißenegg, a ministerial of the diocese of Bamberg, appears several times in documents between 1244 and 1263. In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Weißeneggers were an important noble family in Carinthia, they provided several bishops and were also active in the military. From the year 1300 Weißenegg was the seat of a district court, which also included Ruden. In 1332 the property was sold to the Lords of Walsee. Eberhard von Walsee († 1363), who had no descendants, inherited the castle and dominion from his cousins Ulrich and Hermann I von Cilli. The Counts of Cilli stayed on Weißenegg until 1425, then Hermann II von Cilli exchanged Weißenegg and Hartneidstein with the bishopric of Bamberg for the lordship of Mauthenberg (Hohenmauthen/Muta). Weißenegg remained in Bamberg until 1759, when the diocese sold its estates in Carinthia to the Austrian Empire. The castle was already deserted at this point. In 1775 Maximilian Thaddäus Freiherr von Egger acquired the castle, which from then on remained in the possession of his descendants for over a century. In 1885 the barons Ferdinand and Karl Helldorf bought the property, and in 1936 the extensive forests with the ruins passed to the Leitgeb family of industrialists from Kühnsdorf, who are still the owners today.

From Dravograd you have to pedal a lot to get to the castle, but the view you then have from above - not only of the castle - is worth it!

The Dvorec Bukovje Castle (Eng. Buchenstein Castle) was built in 1710 from the remains of a castle on this site. Nowadays there is a small museum in the castle.

There used to be a simple watchtower on the high rock spur, but when the St. Paul Abbey was founded in 1091, the tower was expanded into a well-fortified castle. The castle changed hands several times until it was destroyed in a fire at the end of the 17th century. The ruins fell into disrepair for a long time, but in the 1990s the remains were preserved and restored in pieces. Today you can visit the ruins and enjoy the unique view from the castle walls. The Rabensteiner Inn is also located right next to the castle. There you can not only dine excellently, but also stay overnight in cozy rooms or holiday apartments.

The castle was built around the year 1300 by Hartneid von Weissenegg. She remained until 1331 in the possession of the Weissenegger, then she came to the Lords of Walsee and after their extinction in 1363 to the Counts of Cilli. In the year 1425 the diocese Bamberg acquired the castles and district courts Hartneidstein and Weissenegg of Hermann II. Of Cilli in exchange for the feasts Hohenmauthen with Muta. Hartneidstein remained the seat of a regional court, which was henceforth responsible for the lower Lavanttal. In 1469 Harttensite was invaded by Turks and burnt down, but immediately rebuilt. When the court seat was moved to Wolfsberg at the end of the 17th century, the complex was already in decline, accelerated by the loss of significance in the 18th century.