Mittertrixen Castle

The history of Mittertrixen dates back to the 9th century. However, until the 14th century, no distinction was made in the documents between Ober-, Nieder- and Mittertrixen. Around 1090, Bishop Berthold von Zeltschach of Gurk enfeoffed Count Engelbert von Spanheim with two castles in the Trixenertal. Through Kunigunde, the widow of Count Bernhard von Spanheim-Trixen, the fortress came into the possession of Styrian ministeriales. The Trixner family living here died out with Otto II in 1261. His daughter Gertrud pledged the lordship in 1278 to Ulrich Graf Heunburg. In 1317, Countess Elisabeth von Heunburg received Mittertrixen as a morning gift from her husband, Count Hermann. At that time, the feudal lordship was still exercised by Gurk Abbey. After the extinction of the Heunburgers, however, Duke Rudolf IV granted the castle to Count Johann von Pfannberg. The abbey could no longer enforce its rights. Mittertrixen came as a princely fief in 1362 to the Aufensteiner and after their fall to Peter von Liemberg (Liebenberg). He sold it in 1400 to Alexander Gradner. From 1460, the lordship belonged to the von Hengsbach family. After the death of Siegmund von Hengspach, it was sold around 1597 to Siegmund von Spangenstein, who also owned Waisenberg. In 1641, Georg Sigmund Freiherr von Spangenstein sold Mittertrixen to Claudius Schneeweiß von Arnoldstein. He was followed by various owners who did not own the castle for long. In 1742, Mittertrixen came to Johann Moritz Graf Christalnigg, who united it with Spangenberg and Waisenberg. His successor, Count Leopold Christalnigg, is probably responsible for the expansion of the farmstead at the foot of the castle hill into a castle, which took place around 1769/70. The castle was then left to decay. In 1939, the German Resettlement Company took over the estate, but it was returned to the Christalnigg family in 1949. However, they only owned it for three more years and then sold it.

Considerable remains of the old castle on the steep conical hill above the Trixenertal still exist, but they are largely overgrown by vegetation. Parts of the keep are preserved up to the second floor. Some Gothic profiled portals and windows are still recognizable. Parts of a ribbed cross vault are also preserved. The late Baroque castle is an extensive two-story four-wing complex around a large rectangular courtyard. This is decorated on three sides with basket-arch pillar arcades. The south facade is also structured by arcades on the upper floor. In the west wing, some late medieval building elements, such as a shoulder arch portal, were reused. The exterior facades have plaster grooving on the ground floor. It is separated from the upper floor by a cordon cornice. Above the simple round-arch gate on the 14-axis main facade is an unadorned triangular gable. Behind it extends a long gabled roof. In the rooms of the upper floor, Rococo stucco work, a 16th-century coffered ceiling, and a stove from the mid-19th century have been preserved. The large garden adjoining the castle to the south is surrounded by a dry stone wall. The castle was soon repurposed and served as a cavalry barracks as early as the beginning of the 19th century. In 1914, this was dissolved. Later it was used for agricultural purposes and divided into rental apartments. In the second half of the 20th century, it was severely neglected and fell into disrepair. It was recently renovated. The current owners operate a Western riding stable here.