Burg Karlsberg (Kärnten)

Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria, Austria

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Burg Karlsberg (Kärnten) is the ruined medieval castle on a wooded ridge between the Zollfeld and the Glan Valley, southwest of Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia, Austria, near the small settlement of Karlsberg.

It was probably built around 1160 by Karl von Projern and first mentioned in 1168, originally forming a twin-castle complex with an upper and lower fortress, and it remained inhabited at least until the 16th century. The castle’s most impressive feature was its massive Bergfried (tower), a five- or six-storey structure from the early 14th century with walls more than three metres thick, described as one of the strongest towers in Central Europe.

As the castle declined, its manor farm was converted in the 17th century into Schloss Karlsberg, a four-winged baroque residence built below the ruins, which now stands together with the ruined Burg Karlsberg as protected monuments and both are owned by the Goëss family. Today the site is accessible only via an unpaved, private road, and the ruins and the castle are not open as a regular tourist attraction, but they remain a notable medieval landmark in the landscape south of Sankt Veit an der Glan.