3 Castles Tour

Reitenau Castle is the first castle on the way, it is privately owned and cannot be visited. The former moated castle exudes an atmosphere steeped in history, a view of the arcaded inner courtyard is usually possible.

Aichberg Castle and the settlement of Eichberg are located between Vorau and the Lafnitz River, which formed the eastern border of the empire for centuries. During repeated invasions by the Turks in the 16th and 17th centuries, the castle and village were looted and devastated. The costly reconstruction work drove the lords of the castle to ruin. Numerous changes of ownership followed. In 1986 the house came into private ownership and thus finally to rest. An art dealer began to breathe new life into the castle. Today, the castle with its black facade towers over the village of Eichberg and the rolling hills of eastern Styria. It looks defiant and somewhat threatening. Castle owner Cajetan Gril du Guern says this is not intentional. During the renovation work, it became apparent that this must have been the original color of the facade. Anthracite gray was probably the fashionable color for castles in the 17th century. And because he had no desire to replace the many rotten baroque doors, he asked artists to design them without further ado. A tour of the palace immerses visitors in an Eldorado of show-stopping art statements. The permanent exhibition "The Castle and its Inhabitants" can be visited every Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00 - and by appointment. www.aichberg.at

Kirchberg am Walde Castle near Grafendorf is the third castle. It now houses an agricultural college, founded in 1927. A farm store is open on Fridays from 12:00 to 15:30 ( during school hours).

The observation tower in the G.E.R.A. Park offers a magnificent panoramic view over the region, reaching as far as Burgenland and Hungary!

• Collective cab "SAM" - Mobility in Eastern Styria - SAM closes the gaps in the public transport network and offers affordable mobility for ALL (bicycle transport partly possible)
• ÖBB - Austrian Federal Railways (bicycle transport possible)
• BusBahnBim - timetable information (also available as an app) of bus, train and Bim in Styria and throughout Austria (bicycle transport partly possible)
• MOBILZENTRAL - Central information point for all questions regarding public transport.

With the BusBahnBim app of Verbundlinie, timetable information has never been easier: all connections by bus, train and streetcar in Austria can be queried by entering locations and/or addresses, stops or important points. The app is available as a free app for smartphones (Android, iOS) - on Google Play and in the App Store.

Free parking is available for example at the Eichbergerhof or Gasthof Pferschywirt!

Connection/ Networking: R12 thermal cycle path, Eurovelo 9.

More information:

Tourist Office Eastern Styria

Hartberg office

Alleegasse 6

8230 Hartberg

+43 3332 603300

www.oststeiermark.com

The Styria Tours App, available for free on Google Play and in the App Store (Android, iOS), offers detailed first-hand information: short facts (length, duration, difficulty, ascent and descent in altitude meters, ratings), map, route descriptions, altimeter, compass, summit finder, navigation along the tour. In addition, you can create your personal favorites list of favorite tours and points, save tours and destinations offline, play on social media channels and more.