Description of the attraction
One of the gems of the Carinthian district of St. Fine is the Altofen resort. Around 300 BC. NS. Celts settled in the place of modern Altofen. Then they were replaced by Slavic tribes. For the first time, the current name of the town was mentioned in documents from 1041. Until 1803, this village, like many neighboring towns, was the property of the Archbishop of Salzburg.
Salzburg's bailiffs lived in Altofen Castle, which was destroyed in the 15th century during the Austro-Hungarian War. It was rebuilt around 1500 under the leadership of Leonard von Koitschach and named the New Castle. After 1803, the castle became the property of the state. After 42 years, it was acquired by Baron Eugene von Dieckmann. The new castle is located south of the main church of the city and consists of two buildings that were sold to different owners in the second half of the 20th century.
The parish church of Altofen, with its massive bell tower, is the only church in Carinthia dedicated to Saint Thomas of Canterbury. It was built in 1400 and acquired baroque décor in the 18th century. Finally, in 1908-1910, the temple was reconstructed in the neo-Gothic style.
The main decorations of the Salburgerplatz square are the plague column and the unusual fountain "Gnomes", which is crowned with two sculptures of seated gnomes.
To the north of Altofen lies Tescheldorf Castle, which was first mentioned in chronicles in 1369. In the 14th century, a bailiff from Salzburg lived in the castle, and in the 17th century it was acquired by Georg Ordolph Gschmidt, the owner of a metallurgical plant in Pokstein. It was with him that the castle got its current appearance. It is an imposing three-story baroque building with the coat of arms of the former owners on the tympanum. A small chapel was built next to it in 1597.
