Ehrenfels Castle

The origins of Ehrenfels Castle trace back to the Lords of Ehrenfels, a family that immigrated from Switzerland to Carinthia, with their ancestral seat located in Graubünden. Friedrich von Ehrenfels is mentioned around 1200 as the first representative of the family in Carinthia. In the 14th century, the family reached its peak, with one brother serving as governor of Carinthia and another as Bishop of Lavant. With Johann II, Otto's son, the male line of the Ehrenfels family died out. In 1591, Count Georg Nogarol acquired the castle and, in 1593, had a bastion erected, whose coat of arms is still visible today. After his death in 1619, the castle changed hands several times, including Count von Balmeran and Johann Maximilian von Herberstein, before being sold in 1635 to Franz, the Bishop of Bamberg and Würzburg. In 1759, Ehrenfels came into imperial possession.