Oberwoelz Stadt description and photos - Austria: Styria (Topic)

Oberwoelz Stadt description and photos - Austria: Styria. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Oberwoelz Stadt.

Photo and description

Oberwelz-Stadt is a city in the south of Central Austria. It is located at an altitude of 830 meters above sea level by the Welzer Bach river in the Murau district of Styria, 85 km west of Graz. This is a small settlement with about a thousand people. Oberwelz received the status of a city in 1305, thanks to the fact that Duke Albrecht I founded a market here.

Rothenfels Castle rises above the city on a hundred-meter cliff, whose name is translated as "Red Rock". At first it was called the Welz Castle. From 1007 to 1803, the Welser Valley, on the territory of which the city of Oberwelz is located, belonged to the bishopric of Freising. One of the bishops of Freising, Egilbert, built the castle of Rothenfels, where he settled the burgrave, who ruled the local lands. The castle above Oberwelz was first mentioned in 1305. At the beginning of the 19th century, this episcopal estate became the property of the state. The castle, rebuilt in the style of historicism, is currently owned by a private person. It consists of an old palace and a more modest multi-storey structure, erected on a cliff just below the main building. There is also a reservoir on the territory of the citadel.

Around the town of Oberwelz, there is a circular tourist route 4.5 km long, developed by local youth and dedicated to the legends and fairy tales of the region. It was opened in 2009. The stations of the route are wooden sculptures, each of which illustrates one or another legend. There are figures of the Night Watchman, Dragon, Lumberjack, etc. It is better to walk along the local fabulous route in the company of an experienced guide.

Fortress walls with three gates and towers have been preserved in the city since the Middle Ages. The main sacred monument of Oberwelz is considered the late Gothic church of St. Pancratius, erected in the middle of the 15th century.

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Topic: Oberwoelz Stadt description and photos - Austria: Styria.