Volcanic rock
Dark basalt.
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Riegersburg Castle is a medieval castle on a volcanic rock above the town of Riegersburg in eastern Styria, about 38 km east of Graz in a straight line. It is owned by the Princely Family of Liechtenstein and houses a museum with changing exhibitions. The castle sits on the neck of an ancient volcano that went extinct around two million years ago, the hardened core of molten rock, whose summit reaches 482 metres above sea level. The basalt of the hill itself was used to build the castle. Its written history begins in 1122, and it passed through many owners over the centuries. The dark rock rises steeply above the rolling Styrian countryside of fields, vineyards and orchards, and the castle's white walls and red roofs run along its top as if part of it. A cobbled path climbs through a chain of gates, and from the top other volcanic peaks of the region come into view. Visitors walk up the cobbled path in about 20 minutes or take an inclined lift. The castle has exhibitions and a restaurant, and below it lie a bird-of-prey centre and, in the town, a well-known chocolate factory.
Dark basalt.
A cobbled climb.
Vineyards and orchards.
Riegersburg, eastern Styria, Austria
Yes, an inclined lift beside the path.
Yes, from Graz.