Burg Wagrain, Castle ruin in Wagrain, Austria

Burg Wagrain is a ruined hilltop castle at 840 m above sea level on the Burghügel in Wagrain. Its 60 by 80 m plateau holds a courtyard of about 5,000 m², a 150 cm thick ring wall preserved up to 3 m on the southwest side, and the base of a round tower 11.5 m in diameter with walls 2.7 m thick. The rectangular Palas measured 22 by 13 m.

The fortress was built around 1200 by the Goldegg family to control passage between two important valleys. It was destroyed in 1322 and never rebuilt.

The name Wagrain survives in the title "Welser von Wagrain", granted in 1593 to the Welser family, whose last male line ended in 1635 with Johann Melchior Welser. Three underground passages once linked the castle to the market: one to the Steinerwirt cellar, walled up in 1878, one to the castle chapel, and a third found in 1929 during construction of the Grafenwirtshaus and bricked up.

The location on a steep hill makes access somewhat demanding, but the elevation offers wide views across the surrounding landscape. Visitors should wear sturdy footwear and allow time for the climb.

Three coins found in the 2008 dig were struck in Enns, Salzburg and Munich, pointing to trade links reaching well beyond the valley. Excavations also uncovered crossbow bolts, knives, belt buckles and glass fragments in a dark, charcoal-rich layer between the hall and the perimeter wall.