Description of the attraction
The ruins of Rabenstein Castle, also called Virgen Castle, are located on a hill above the village of Virgen in East Tyrol. The castle, built in the 12th century, was used until the beginning of the 18th century. Here, basically, only the manager of the castle lived. After his departure, the fortress began to gradually collapse. In 1963, most of it was swallowed up by the forest. At the same time, work was carried out to preserve the ruins. The area of the dilapidated castle Rabenstein is 4800 square meters. It is the third largest medieval castle complex in Tyrol.
Rabenstein Castle stands on a wooded hill at an altitude of 1410 meters. Thanks to this, the castle is considered one of the highest castles in Tyrol. You can reach it from the village of Virgen along the southern road, which turns into a trail.
Archaeologists during excavations on the Rabenstein hill have found two coins and jewelry dating from the Roman era. This means that already in those days people settled on the hill. The medieval fortress was first mentioned in documents from 1182. Initially, these lands belonged to Count Albert of Tyrol. The conflict between the Count of Tyrol and the Archbishop of Salzburg in 1252 led to the fact that the Count was taken prisoner. He had to cede two castles to the archbishop - Virgen and Oberdrauburg. But the archbishop handed over the castle Virgen to the heirs of Count Albert as a fief. That is, the descendants of the Count of Tyrol became vassals of the archbishops of Salzburg. This situation persisted until the 18th century.
For some time the imperial house was in charge of the castle. Then the court of the city of Virgen was located here. In 1703, the condition of the castle deteriorated so much that its inhabitants moved to the city mansion. Currently, the castle is not guarded by anyone. It can be viewed at any time.
