Burg Finstergrün

Finstergrün Castle (German: Burg Finstergrün) is a castle in the state of Salzburg, Austria. Burg Finstergrün is 1,087 metres (3,566 ft) above sea level. The castle is believed to have been built in 1296/97 by Rudolf von Fohnsdorf. In 1300 it was described as “a border fortress” between the Archbishopric of Salzburg and the Duchy of Styria. During the 14th and 15th centuries it became the seat of the administrator who was in charge of managing the silver mines in Ramingstein. The first documented mention of the name Burg Finstergruen (dark ditch) occurred in 1629.

In 1841 the castle complex was destroyed by a forest fire. In 1899 a new owner, Count Sándor Szapary (1858-1904), bought the castle and rebuilt a comfortable house from the ruins. It was later inherited by his son. In the 1930s and 1940s the castle belonged to his widow, Countess Margit Szapáry, who took in selected paying guests.

After the Second World War, Burg Finstergrün became a centre of the activities of the Evangelical Youth movement.

Text adapted from “Finstergrün Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Burg Finstergrün ranks #3,135 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #75 of the 201 mapped in Austria. Founded 1629, it is older than 30% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 626 atlas entries founded in the 17th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 1,789 times in the last 60 days, more than 64% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Villach, 51 km away. See how Austria compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗