Description of the attraction
Gösting Castle is the ruins of a castle in Gösting, located in the northwest of Styria, in Graz.
The castle was built in the 11th century, and the first mention of Gösting dates back to 1042, when Emperor Henry III gave land to Count Gottfried. In 1050 Gottfried bequeathed Gösting to his brother Adalbero from Würzburg. From that time until the 17th century, the castle was in the possession of princes, it was led by a viscount.
In the 15th century, the castle was modernized: it was expanded into a fortress for protection from the Turks and Hungarians.
In 1707, the castle and the surrounding lands were acquired by Count Attems. In mid-July 1723, by an amazing coincidence, lightning struck a barn with gunpowder, as a result of which most of the castle burned down. After the fire, it was decided not to restore the castle, but as a new residence for the Attems family, a new castle was built at the foot of the mountain.
Since 1999, the castle ruins and the surrounding forests have belonged to the Baker Auer family. Today the former castle has only three floors, the chapel of St. Anne, which is used for church services. A small museum has been set up in the former tavern. The museum and the chapel are located on the territory of the second - "Upper" castle. A little to the west are the ruins of an old castle, from which it is still possible to determine where the central entrance, the moat and the drawbridge were built. Once the castle was surrounded by a rampart with a palisade. The northern part of the castle courtyard was used for household buildings. Until now, the water supply system has been partially preserved.
The castle ruins are a half hour walk from the center of Gösting.
