The former guard over the road to Seefeld
Only a few minutes' drive from the Tyrolean capital Innsbruck lies the ruin of the castle Fragenstein. It is believed that it was built at the beginning of the 12th century to secure the road to Seefeld and collection of the road toll, the castle hill was on the basis of various discoveries found already been inhabited much longer. Its name is probably derived from the fact that Fragenstein was also used as a court seat from the 13th century and "Frag" then stood for "interrogation". The castle, located on a narrow rocky ridge, often changed hands. One of them, Parzival von Weineck, had the keep built and is the reason why the castle is also known as Burg Weineck. The well-known minstrel Oswald von Wolkenstein visited the castle twice, and under Herzog Sigmund and Kaiser Maximillian, Fragenstein was the starting point for hunts in the area. The inauguration of the castle chapel took place in 1469. At the beginning of the 17th century, the castle was also used as a "Kreitfeuerstation". "Kreitfeuer" were once the means of communication or warning of danger. For this purpose, prepared wood chips were ignited and warned the neighboring communities. As the road was laid over the Zirlerberg, the castle Fragenstein lost its importance and the decline began. During the Spanish War of Succession, Fragenstein was used by Tyrolean troops as a retreat. Upon their departure, these destroyed large parts of the castle. Finally, the castle came into the possession of the Kuen family, which today are still owners of the largest parts of the plant. Shortly before the First World War, the first security works by the Austrian Castle Association began and in the middle of the seventies, Fragenstein was finally renovated. Today, the two towers are still preserved from the former castle, where the Weinckerturm was expanded by his owners for residential purposes and provided with a roof. The view over Zirl and the Inn valley is worth the ascent and only up here is it really clear how impressive the castle once must have been.