Albeck Castle

The origins of Albeck date back to 898, when the area came into the possession of the Counts of Friesach-Zeltschach through an imperial donation. In the 10th century, they built Albeck Castle on the steep mountainside of the narrow Gurk valley. Hemma of Gurk endowed the dominion of Albeck to a nunnery in 1043, which was dissolved in 1070. After a brief period under the Archdiocese of Salzburg, Albeck passed to the newly founded Diocese of Gurk, which first documented the castle in 1155. Following the extinction of the noble family of Albeck in 1194 and an inheritance dispute, the dominion finally fell to the Diocese of Gurk in 1264. From 1339, a bailiff was appointed at the castle, exercising extensive rights over the farmers.