Grades Castle

North of the village of Grades in Carinthia, situated on a steep rocky hill above the river, Grades Castle watches over the central part of the Metnitz Valley. It is located in the municipality of Metnitz in the district of St. Veit an der Glan.

Its predecessor building was probably rebuilt under Bishop Heinrich I of Gurk around the year 1173 or under Bishop Gerold of Gurk after 1326. The first documented mention, however, was in 1285. The building received its current appearance through alterations and extensions of the Romanesque core substance in the 15th/16th century as well as in the 17th/18th century. Originally, the episcopal administration of the upper Metnitz Valley had its main and judicial seat here, where the castellan exercised the function of a seneschal for the Bishops of Gurk. In the middle of the 18th century, the castle housed a silk wallpaper manufactory or a cloth factory. Grades Castle was never granted as a fief and remained in the possession of the Diocese of Gurk until the end of the 20th century, most recently being temporarily used as a children's recreation home. Today, the property is privately owned.