Riegersburg

The Riegersburg sits on an extinct volcanic rock, visible from afar over the eastern Styrian hill country, and is regarded as one of the mightiest castles in Austria. Inside, museums tell of castle history and witch trials; at the foot, a bird-of-prey centre and the well-known Zotter chocolate factory beckon.

Highlights

• Mighty castle on volcanic rock
• Castle and witch museum
• Bird-of-prey centre with flight shows
• Zotter chocolate factory nearby

Good to know

Practical info

Background & History

The Riegersburg towers on a steep basalt rock shaped by extinct volcanoes above the gentle hilly landscape of south-eastern Styria and is regarded as one of the mightiest fortifications in Central Europe. The rock on which it stands is a remnant of the volcanism that shaped this region millions of years ago, and by its very nature offered an almost impregnable position. Anyone wishing to reach the castle had to pass through seven gates and enormous walls, which is why in its long history it was never taken by storm, not even by the Ottoman armies that surged against it over the centuries, against whom it served as an eastern bulwark.

The castle owes its present form above all to the 17th century and to the energetic Countess Katharina Elisabeth von Galler, popularly known as “the wicked Liesl”, who had the complex expanded into a magnificent residence. Within the castle walls a museum today also recalls the dark history of the witch trials, which raged with particular ferocity in the region. Thus the Riegersburg unites volcanic earth history, a defensive past and gloomy legends into one of the most impressive excursion destinations in Styria.