Friesach: Castle, Chocolate and City History

Friesach combines the Petersberg castle complex with a water-filled medieval town moat and a wide range of themes to consider when planning a trip. The town museum focuses on historical objects; south of the medieval town, a hilltop castle is being built using traditional craftsmanship and without modern equipment. There is also chocolate, annual stage performances and an exhibition about nature. For families, this offers a variety of interests to consider when choosing how to spend their holiday.

Petersberg Castle and the History of the Town

The town museum on Petersberg is located in the chapel tower of the Petersberg castle complex. Across six floors, it displays historical objects: Roman medallions, Gothic keystones, Friesach silver pfennigs, weapons and Romanesque frescoes. This range offers a tangible perspective on different objects and themes in the town’s history, alongside the functions of the castle. Petersberg Castle was first mentioned in 860 and served as a fortress and residence for the Archbishops of Salzburg. This makes it possible to distinguish between two aspects: the castle’s historical functions and the diverse objects presented in the museum.

The medieval town moat also makes the layout of Friesach easy to grasp. Filled with water, it is 820 metres long and surrounds the old town to the north, east and south. Its precise length gives a sense of scale for this historic boundary; the three directions locate it around the old town. Those interested in urban design will find a different perspective here than at Petersberg: the focus is on the shape of the old town, rather than on the functions of the castle.

Craftsmanship, Chocolate and Nature

At Erlebnis Burgbau Friesach, a hilltop castle is being built on a hill south of the medieval town. The project draws on craftsmanship from long ago, and no modern equipment is used. Unlike the town museum, where historical objects are displayed, the focus here is on building a hilltop castle. For families interested in traditional building processes, this offers a distinct focus alongside exploring historical collections.

The Chocolate Experience World takes visitors from the journey of the cocoa bean to handmade Craigher chocolate. Tasting stations complement films showing how Craigher chocolates are made by hand with great care. The experience is therefore about both the journey from raw ingredient to finished product and how it is made. This provides a culinary focus that differs from the castle and museum, and may interest travellers who also want to include food and how it is made in their holiday plans.

The Friesach Burghofspiele stage plays for visitors at Petersberg every year. If you would like to plan a visit to a performance, check your travel dates against the specific performance schedule. The “Wohnzimmer Natur” exhibition presents nature as a habitat and covers, among other things, wildlife, forests, butterflies and fish. Together, these offer an annual stage programme and a nature-themed exhibition alongside historical and craft interests. The different focuses can help you plan your trip around your family’s interests rather than making it all about a single theme.

Choosing Friesach as a Holiday Destination

Friesach’s main square is less than a ten-minute walk from Friesach railway station. For travellers arriving by train, this provides a useful reference point on arrival. If you are looking for a holiday apartment in Friesach, you can consider this travel information alongside the kind of holiday you have in mind: should the town’s history be the deciding factor, are you interested in traditional building methods, or would you also like to include chocolate, theatre and nature? Weighing up these interests can help you choose a holiday destination without letting a single attraction define your entire stay.

Discover more destinations: Sankt Veit an der Glan, Eggen, Sadin, Sand, Frauenstein, Guttaring, Metnitz, Treffling.

Back to the regional travel overview: Sankt Veit An Der Glan.