Hochosterwitz Karnten The area of Hochosterwitz is first mentioned by name in documents dated 860, but the castle dates from 1209, when the Osterwitz family were given the land, and built a castle upon the mount. Passing back to the crown, the land and castle were pawned by King Ferdinand 1 to the governor of Kärnten, Christof Khevenhüller. A descendant, Baron George Khevenhüller, bought the castle in 1570, re-equipped it with an armoury, gates, and wall fortifications. In 1576 he laid a marble slab in the courtyard, expressing the wish that the castle always belong to the Khevenhüller family. The castle does, to this day, remain the property of the family. As a young visitor to the area, the castle appears to have made an impression on Walt Disney, and the castle in "Snow White" bears more than a passing resemblance to Burg Hochosterwitz. The castle is open daily to the public, with guided tours, and can be reached by walking up the steep mountain road, the "Mannerism" through fourteen gateways and across five drawbridges, or taking the funicular from the centre of the town. Built in 1994, the funicular seats 9 people, and takes 2 minutes to travel the 160 metre-long incline. The single car on the 700mm-gauge track is "called" by the passenger, and the operation is automatic. The nearest ÖBB station is Launsdorf, north of St. Veit an der Glan (2.6 km.) No pictures currently exist in the ARG file of the stanseilbahn (funicular)

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updated 1st May 2006
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