Schloss Grafenstein, Heritage castle in Grafenstein, Austria

Schloss Grafenstein is a three-story cubic building west of Grafenstein in Carinthia, with twelve axes on the main front and eight on the sides. Its north facade faces the large farmyard, with horizontal plasterwork on the ground floor and Corinthian pilasters above; the central section ends in a triangular pediment holding the Orsini-Rosenberg coat of arms. A three-story arcaded courtyard lies within.

The castle was founded in 1638 by Johann Andreas von Rosenberg and remained in family hands for generations. In 1770, Vinzenz von Orsini-Rosenberg gave the facade its current form with colossal columns and triangular gables.

The Rosenberg family, first documented in 1322, took the name Orsini-Rosenberg in 1683 to claim descent from the Roman Orsini; the facade tympanum shows their arms with two bears, a golden rose and a princely crown. The family was raised to princely rank in 1790, and the castle still serves as residence and property administration for Orsini-Rosenberg family members.

The castle is a private residence and the seat of the Orsini-Rosenberg family's property administration, so the interiors are not open to visitors. The entrance front faces north onto the large farmyard, and the 1770 portal with its bearded keystone head and chronogram can be seen from there. The building is a protected monument, listed under number 6816.

The Rosenberg family, first documented in 1322 in Styria, took the name Orsini-Rosenberg in 1683 to claim descent from the Roman Orsini; no proof of this link exists. The family still owns the castle and uses it as a residence and property administration office.