Weinburg am Saßbach: Castle and Craft History

Weinburg Castle, the castle church and a Höhenweg give Weinburg am Saßbach a range of historical and scenic points of interest. The Handwerkerdörfl adds reconstructed historic buildings and traditional working environments. This gives you two distinct themes to consider when planning your trip: architectural and craft history, or a hiking route that leads to Weinburg via scenic viewpoints. Think about which of these you would like to focus on before choosing your accommodation.

Castle history in two periods

The surviving complex of Weinburg Castle has an irregular pentagonal layout and includes an inner courtyard and corner towers. Andrea Bertoletto of Como, Italy, created this design between 1578 and 1590. A later date marks a change of ownership: in 1837, Marie Caroline, Duchess of Berry, and her second husband, Count Ettore Lucchesi Palli, acquired the castle. The dates distinguish two different aspects—the construction of the complex in the late 16th century and its later acquisition. Anyone interested in historic architectural forms will find specific details here rather than just a general account of a castle: a pentagonal layout, an inner courtyard and corner towers.

Chapel and Handwerkerdörfl

The castle church, the Weinburg am Saßbach chapel, also has a precisely dated history. On 25 November 1508, the feast day of Saint Catherine, Bishop Martinus of Seckau dedicated the present-day side altar to the Mother of God. Masses are held according to the service schedule of the St. Veit am Vogau parish office. If you are planning to attend a service, check the schedule. Another chapel with its own date in history is Siebing Chapel, which was renovated in 2007.

The Handwerkerdörfl is a small village rebuilt using historic buildings that had been dismantled. It features a general store, a blacksmith’s, a wheelwright’s workshop, a shoemaker’s workshop, a threshing barn with old farming implements, a tree press, a bee house, a farmhouse with a smoke kitchen, a smallholder’s house and a weaving workshop. Its variety makes it a vivid counterpart to the castle’s history: instead of a single complex, you encounter buildings and objects from traditional crafts and rural everyday life. For people travelling together, the different workshops and houses can also provide concrete conversation starters—for example, about the activities associated with a blacksmith’s, a wheelwright’s or a weaving workshop.

A historical detail and a scenic route

The history of the weighbridge also has a clear date attached to it: a weighbridge association initiated and built it in 1924. The weighbridge hut dating from that year has stood in the Handwerkerdörfl in neighbouring Pichla bei St. Veit since 2003. Its relocation and present-day setting in the Handwerkerdörfl give the building a distinct place in local craft history.

If you would rather include a hiking route in your plans, the Wanderstab / St. Stefan-Mureck route leads to Weinburg via a Höhenweg with scenic viewpoints. This offers a different way to explore the area from visiting its buildings: here, the route and the views take centre stage. Another trace of the area’s history goes back even further. With some certainty, “Sebach” referred to the Saßbach, which formed a lake between Weinburg and Brunnsee in the Middle Ages. Alongside the surviving architectural and craft heritage, the history of a body of water and a former landscape also comes into view.

Choose a holiday apartment to suit your travel plans

When looking for a holiday apartment in Weinburg am Saßbach, it helps to decide first what you want to focus on. If you mainly want to include the castle, chapel and Handwerkerdörfl in your plans, base your choice on the specific places that interest you. If hiking is to play a bigger part, include the route in your own planning as well. Compare the location of each accommodation option with your own destinations and routes. This way, your choice of holiday apartment reflects the kind of stay you are planning, rather than a general idea of what makes a suitable base.

Discover more destinations: Grabersdorf, Weitersfeld An Der Mur, Größing, Marktl, Oberrakitsch, Sankt Peter Am Ottersbach, Lugitsch, Mahrensdorf.

Back to the regional travel overview: Southeast Styria.