Description
At the northernmost point of the Alps, the "Hangintenstein" (hanging stone), stands the small but beautifully laid out and essentially Romanesque Greifenstein Castle. It is assumed that the Romans already had a lookout point or even a fortress here, as the old Roman provincial border between Upper Pannonia and Ufernoricum ran here. The name "Hanginstein" was already mentioned in documents around 900, and in 955 the land up to this rock was handed over by the Duke of Bavaria to the Bishopric of Passau.
The stone that stands in the middle of the inner courtyard is called the "Schwurstein" and legend has it that every visitor to the castle had to touch the stone and still has to. This is where the name "Griffin Stone" comes from. Countless legends and tales surround this mysterious stone.
