Groppenstein Castle

Semslach, Austria

First mentioned in historic documents in 1254, Burg Groppenstein was built in a particularly beautiful place, where the River Mallnitz flows into the River Möll. In the 15th century it was turned into a defence in the style of the late Middle Ages. In 1872 the castle was renovated by the Viennese architect Adolf Stipperger, and its exterior design has since been unchanged.

The Romanesque wing was replaced by Gothic dwellings and weirs with towers and battlement walls. The Knights Hall features beautiful, 16th century stained glass windows. Other glass paintings were added by Prof. Franz Chvostek, who owned the castle from 1936 to 1944.

Also worth a visit is the castle chapel consecrated to St. Katharina with its gothic aisle and semi-circular Romanesque apse.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 13th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in Austria

More Information

www.obervellach-reisseck.at

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Vincenzo (3 years ago)
Looks good from a distance, the building is private so you can't go in.
Miroslav Ficza (8 years ago)
Its private. No public access.
Ed Stekelenburg (8 years ago)
We went there to visit the waterfalls. It was amazing and nature is great. The return route is not that spectacular and the last part is unexpectedly hard to do... But if you have no problems with that, you must go there!
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Church of St Donatus

The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.

The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.

The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.