[citation needed] The construction of the castle began in 1533 at the behest of Count Gabriel von Salamanca-Ortenburg (1489–1539), treasurer and confidant of the Habsburg archduke Ferdinand I of Austria.

Originally from Burgos in Habsburg Spain, Salamanca in 1524 for his services had received the estates of the Counts of Ortenburg in the Duchy of Carinthia.

After the Salamanca dynasty had become extinct in 1620, the local patrician Widmann family acquired the castle and in 1662 assigned it to Prince John Ferdinand, Count of Porcia, at this time minister of the Habsburg emperor Leopold I.

The famous arcaded courtyard houses several Lombard-Italian sculptures and since 1961 serves as a venue for the annual Komödienspiele Porcia theatre festival.

Furthermore, the castle houses a museum for local history and is the site of several concerts and chorus recitals.