Wassergraben Friesach

Friesach in Carinthia has the only continuously water-filled medieval city moat in the German-speaking world. The 620-meter moat, fed by the Metnitz river, has surrounded the old town core since the 12th century, when Friesach was the mint town for the Archbishop of Salzburg and one of the most important trading settlements in the eastern Alps. The Friesacher Pfennig coins produced here were the dominant currency of the region for over a century. The town has three ruined castles on the surrounding hills, intact medieval walls, and almost no modern development in the historic core: a combination that gives you one of the best-preserved medieval townscapes in Austria without the crowds of better-known sites. Friesach is on the Klagenfurt-Graz railway line, about 45 minutes from Klagenfurt. Everything in the town is walkable from the station. No booking required for the moat walk or the town itself; small entry fees apply for some towers and the castle ruins.