Friesach

The 12th-century Romanesque Stadtpfarrkirche (parish church) on Wiener Strasse has some excellent stained glass in the choir. The 13th-century church in the Dominican monastery north of the moat was the first of its order in Austria. If you believe that Tannhäuser was a creation of Wagner's imagination, you will be surprised to learn that descendants of his family were Salzburg administrators in Friesach; a Tannhäuser Chapel was erected in 1509 in this church, with a red-marble tomb of Deputy Dean Balthasar Tannhäuser added after his death in 1516. From a footpath at the upper end of the main square, take a steep 20-minute climb up to the impressive remains of Schloss Petersberg to see 12th- and 13th-century frescoes and a museum housed on several floors of the tower, with examples of late-Gothic metalworking and hunting rifles. There is also a well-preserved Kammerklavier. Friesach has many more medieval marvels: be sure to stop in at the tourist office for information on all of them.