Friedburg, Medieval castle ruin in Neukirchen am Großvenediger, Austria

Friedburg is a castle ruin located on a hillside in Neukirchen am Großvenediger, with portions of the outer walls and traces of the original fortification still visible. The remaining stone structures provide a sense of the layout and scale this fortified settlement once occupied.

The Veste Sulzowe with its tower and defensive wall probably arose around the year 1000; a Heinrich Graf von Solzowe is mentioned in 1050. After the Frontenhausen family died out, the castle passed to the Velber family after 1228, and from 1297 it was administered by archiepiscopal castle stewards. In 1551 the castle is said to have burned down and was not rebuilt.

The name Sulzau, recorded as Sulzowe around 1000 and as Sultzowe deu Purch in the 1292 settlement, survives in the Sulzau district and the Obersulzbachtal. The ruin is a protected heritage monument; the upright north wall with its round-arched gate and the beam holes for a former intermediate floor are the details to look for.

Several hiking paths lead to the ruins, including a loop trail that covers about 3 kilometers with steady elevation gain. Visit during dry weather when stone paths are easier to navigate and provide safer footing.

Local folklore tells of a devil attempting to carry a boulder from another location but dropping it nearby when church bells interrupted the task. This folk tale remains part of the region's storytelling traditions tied to the old fortification.