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| ÖSTERREICH | AUSTRIA |
| Bundesland: Kärnten | Carinthia |
| Bezirk: Sankt Veit an der Glan |
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Eberstein is situated at an elevation of 580 m in the Görtschitz valley, about 16 km east-northeast of the
district town Sankt Veit an der Glan and about 28 km northeast of Klagenfurt am
Wörthersee, the capital of Austria's state of Carinthia. The municipality has a population of about 1,200 (2026).
Archeological finds show that the area was already inhabited during the Roman period in the 2nd century AD. The castle Hocheberstein was founded in the 11th century, and the village originated at the same time below the castle. The castle was first mentioned in writing in the 12th century. Eberstein was first mentioned as a market town in 1474. After the abolition of manorialism, the modern municipality was founded in 1850. In 1869, Eberstein gained a railway connection through the construction of the railway line to Hüttenberg. Subsequently, Eberstein became the seat of a judicial district and thus became the centre of the entire Görtschitz valley. Eberstein's right to use the designation 'market town' was confirmed in 1956. The Eberstein district court was closed in 1978. Passenger service on the Görtschitztalbahn railway ceased in 1995.
Eberstein castle [left, no. 0000: top left] stands on a steep rock above the
Görtschitz valley. The original Eberstein Castle, first mentioned in 1078, no longer exists. That fortification, already described as
dilapidated in the 17th century, was situated higher up the mountain. Its remnants, visible until the mid-20th century, fell victim to
the dolomite quarry. The lower castle, today's Eberstein Palace, was a collection of residential buildings grouped around an inner courtyard.
The castle's origins lie in a conflict between the Archbishop of Salzburg and the Emperor. Eberstein and
Friesach served as Salzburg strongholds. From the 14th century until 1457, the castle was owned by ministeriales
of Görz (Gorizia). The lower castle was expanded in the second half of the 16th century. In 1851 and 1868,
the castle underwent extensive reconstruction, resulting in the present-day Eberstein Castle in historicist, neo-Gothic ("Tudor Gothic") styles.
[https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eberstein_(K%C3%A4rnten);
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schloss_Eberstein_(Eberstein)]
![[scale]](lineal.jpg)