Altburg Schwanberg

Interesting place steeped in history. However, there is not too much to see. A few remnants of the wall and an information board.

The old castle of Bad Schwanberg is currently a site of archaeological excavations under the direction of the state of Styria. The place in the castle is also called "dance floor" in old documents. Originally, a weir system was supposed to have been here under Carolingian rule around 880. It was owned by the Eppensteiners. After disputes with the emperor, the castle was taken and handed over to the bishop of Brixen. The latter defended the gentlemen of Pettau with the weir system. The Pettau started a quarrel with King Ottokar II of Bohemia. The latter took the castle in 1266, but did not destroy it. In the 15th century, Schwanstein Castle came to Agnes von Stubenberg. Through their relationship with the insurgent rebel leader Andreas Baumgartner, Schwanberg was founded by Emperor Friedrich III. ingested. In 1480, Schwanstein Castle was besieged by the Hungarian king Mathias Corvinus. The outcome is unclear. Around 1500 the emperor handed the castle over to Spangstein. In 1576 Wilhelm Galler bought the castle. The Riegersburg also belonged to the Gallers. These let the castle be demolished and used the material for the new construction of Schwanstein Castle. The square in the area of ​​the old castle was used as a place of execution in the Middle Ages. Later, at the time of the Turkish invasions, the "dance floor" was an important place for a chalk fire. With the chalk fires, people passed on information about incoming enemies. Depending on the needs, fires were lit with dry or damp wood. For example, Schwanberg Castle has always been a strategically important place for the surveillance and defense of southern Styria and a distinctive trading location for protection for the transport and trade between Central and Southern Europe in the Middle Ages up to the modern era.