Burgruine Feldsberg
Feldsberg Castle, known locally as Burgruine Feldsberg, is a historic hill castle located in the municipality of Lurnfeld in Carinthia, Austria. Situated on a wooded hilltop west of Pusarnitz near Spittal an der Drau, the site features a simple Romanesque fortification with an irregular quadrangular ground plan that follows the natural terrain of the hill plateau. Although the exact construction date is not recorded in the available text, the castle was first documented in 1189 when Hainricus de Veldisberc, a Salzburg ministerialis, was mentioned in relation to the property. The structure originally served as a strategic point for local nobility and replaced an earlier predecessor known as Hohenburg Castle.
The ruins are currently in a seriously dilapidated condition, characterized by low remains of a tower that now appears merely as a cone of rubble. Despite its decay, significant architectural elements survive, including walls on the north and west sides that still reach heights of up to eight meters. These walls display distinctive herringbone masonry, known as opus spicatum. A circular depression in the northern angle indicates the location of a buried cistern, while historical access to the complex was gained via the south-east side. The site stands as a testament to medieval military engineering adapted to the specific topography of the region.
Historically, Feldsberg Castle was a focal point of contention between the Counts of Gorizia and the Archbishopric of Salzburg. Its significance is highlighted by the fact that negotiations for the Treaty of Pusarnitz were conducted within its walls in 1460. The fortress likely began to fall into disrepair around the end of the sixteenth century after judicial authority was transferred to Sachsenburg. With the last caretaker documented in 1586, the building was officially described as a ruin by 1658. Today, it remains an important historical landmark representing the turbulent political landscape of medieval Carinthia.
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Details
- Type
- hill castle
- Condition
- Ruins, seriously delapidated
- Image Caption
- Ruine Feldsberg
- Location Text
- Lurnfeld