Burgruine Khünburg

Austria, Austria

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Burgruine Khünburg (also spelled Kühnburg) is a medieval rock castle ruin in Carinthia, Austria, standing on a steep, wooded ridge at about 839 metres above the village of Khünburg, part of the town Hermagor in the Gailtal valley, near the Pressegger See.

It was first mentioned in 1189 as the possession of Pero de Künburg (Pero de Kinburch), a ministerial noble, and from the 13th century it belonged to the Bishopric of Bamberg, later being pledged to the Carinthian dukes and eventually falling into decay after a fire in 1540, with the last known references to the castle as an inhabited site in the early 17th century.

The original Romanesque fortress, built around 1200 and roughly 30 × 40 metres in size, is notable for its well-preserved Bergfried (tower), which today serves as a climbable viewing tower with wide views over the surrounding valleys and mountains, together with substantial sections of the five to eight metre high ring wall and the ground-floor walls of a residential building.

The site is easily reachable by walking paths from the Pressegger See, Khünburg, or Hermagor, and is owned by the town of Hermagor; it is a popular short hike and picnic destination and, in summer months, visitors can climb the tower to enjoy panoramic views of the estate and distant Alpine landscape.