In addition to his fiefs of the Archdiocese of Salzburg in Upper Carinthia and East Tyrol, he appeared as a captain (governeur) of the County of Gorizia from 1474/75.

The reconstruction, which was initiated by Virgil von Graben after the withdrawal of the foreign army, gave the castle its typical irregular shape.

From the end of the 15th century until his death in 1507, Virgil von Graben was the burgrave of Gorizia and lord of Heinfels in the Puster Valley.

Virgil von Graben had great influence on the political events of this dilapidated principality as captain (governor) of the County of Gorizia.

[24] During the reign of the ailing Count Leonhard of Gorizia, Virgil von Graben was persuaded by grand promises by King Maximilian I to end his hitherto secret association with the Venetians and instead advocate the country's accession to the Habsburg Empire.

However, since Virgil von Graben ended the contract with Venice about the succession in the County of Gorizia and negotiated with Maximilian I, this appointment did not materialize.

[28] After the death of Count Leonhard on 12 April 1500 and the Gorizia inheritance in favor of the Habsburgs, the Venetians saw their failure solely in the actions of the lords Virgil and Lukas von Graben.

After the successful conversion of the Gorizia county into the Habsburg Empire, Virgil von Graben was modestly rewarded, measured against his immense merit.