Frauenburg, Castle ruin in Unzmarkt-Frauenburg, Austria

Frauenburg is a castle ruin on a hill above Unzmarkt-Frauenburg, about 17 km west of Judenburg. Its built area runs some 200 metres over terraces falling from south to north, with walls of small rubble masonry and corners marked by long blocks of light-coloured stone. On the lowest terrace stands St. Jakob's church, built around 1250 and later rebuilt in Baroque style.

Ulrich von Liechtenstein, a minnesinger, built the stone castle in the 13th century on a spur above the Mur Valley; it was first mentioned around 1260. In 1248 his tenant Pilgrim von Katsch held him prisoner there for over a year until Count Meinhard of Görz paid a ransom. The Liechtenstein line died out in 1437, and the related Stubenbergs, who extended the castle in Gothic style, sold it in 1666 to the Schwarzenberg counts. After the administration moved to Murau, decay set in; a fire in 1861 left it a ruin, and restoration began in the 1960s.

The castle's name, Frauenburg ("women's castle"), is attributed to Ulrich von Liechtenstein, who likely coined it; his verse epic Frauendienst, written here, runs to nearly 15,000 verses and 57 songs. On the lowest terrace stands St. Jakob's church, built around 1250 and later rebuilt in Baroque style, already folded into the castle's defences in the 14th century. A castle festival is held here every year.

Access is via the Burgstraße, which runs from Unzbach through Frauenburg and approaches the castle first from the east, then from the north after a bend. The former direct southeastern approach, once guarded by several gate buildings, is replaced by a covered wooden stairway on a slightly different line. The ruin is open to visitors all year and entry is free.

The castle's name is tied to Ulrich von Liechtenstein, the minnesinger who probably gave it the name Frauenburg and wrote his Frauendienst there, an epic of nearly 15,000 verses and 57 songs. In August 1248 his tenant Pilgrim von Katsch and a servant held him prisoner at the castle for over a year until Count Meinhard of Görz paid a ransom.