Festenburg Castle

Around 1200, a castle was probably founded by the Lords of Stubenberg on a rock spur steeply sloping on three sides, which was first mentioned in a document in 1353 as "Vöstenburg". Around 1399, the castle fell as an inheritance from the extinct Lords of Stadeck, who were of the same lineage as the Stubenbergs, to the later governor of Styria, Count Hugo von Montfort. After the Lords of Montfort, the Lords of Saurau owned Festenburg from around 1416. The castle was unsuccessfully besieged by the Turks in 1529 and 1532 during the First Siege of Vienna.

In 1616, Vorau Abbey bought Festenburg from the Counts of Saurau and converted the castle into a monastery castle with extensions from 1700 to 1723.

The knight's hall of the castle was converted into the parish church of St. Catherine. From 1709, the artistic design of St. Catherine's Church and the six chapels (Loreto Chapel, Crowning with Thorns Chapel, Nativity Chapel, Mount of Olives Chapel, Flagellation Chapel, and Cross Chapel) was carried out by the Vorau Abbey painter Johann Cyriak Hackhofer. The ceiling fresco "Festenburg Women's Heaven" from 1710 in St. Catherine's Church is one of the highlights of Baroque monumental painting in Styria. The exclusive depiction of female saints is noteworthy.

From 1889 to 1928, the poet Ottokar Kernstock was the parish priest in Festenburg.

Today, Holy Masses are held on Sundays as well as Tuesdays and/or Fridays. There is a lively hustle and bustle at the castle. For example, the concert of the Festenburg Trachtenkapelle (traditional costume band) takes place annually, almost traditionally, in the castle courtyard. Festenburg is not only a social but also a cultural center for the entire region.

Festenburg shares its name not only with the village of the same name at its foot, but also with many associations in the Festenburg area:

• USV Festenburg (Sports Club)
• Trachtenkapelle Festenburg (Traditional Costume Band)
• Kameradschaftsbund Festenburg (Comradeship Association)
• Schützenverein Festenburg (Shooting Club)
• Theaterverein Festenburg (Theater Club)