Description of the attraction
Stein Castle, which translates from German as "stone", rises on a 200-meter cliff above the Carinthian town of Dellach im Drautal. The fortress got its name in honor of one of the owners - Lucas von Graben zum Stein. This family ruled the castle from 1500, when they received it as a gift from Emperor Maximilian I, until 1668.
Stein Castle was founded in the 12th century. Who was its first owner is unknown. According to the chronicles of 1190, for some time this strengthening was ruled by Heinrich de Lapide, an approximate of the Orenburg counts. Then, over three centuries, the castle changed three owners - at first the Counts von Gortz ruled here, then Messrs. Zilli. Finally, in 1456, the Stein Fortress became the property of the Habsburgs who ruled Austria. Castles and estates have always been generous rewards for loyalty to the monarch. After 44 years, Stein Castle suffered the fate of many royal lands - it was handed over to the faithful vassal von Graben, who at that time did not yet have a prefix to the surname zum Stein.
In 1664, there were no male heirs in the von Graben family, and among the remaining relatives, a struggle for inheritance broke out, including the Stein Castle. By that time, the estate was unprofitable: the previous owner did not pay taxes, and the future owner was obliged to pay the debt. Nevertheless, the castle was still of interest to Georg von Graben, who descended from the illegitimate offspring of one of the Counts von Graben, and Messrs. Von Lamberg, von Graben's distant female relatives. To avoid further strife, the Habsburgs confiscated Castle Stein and again began to use it as payment for faithful service. So, it was first owned by Baltazar de Pervellis, and then by the Orsini-Rosenberg family, who still own the castle. Tours around the castle are not suitable.
