Schachenstein Castle
| Schachenstein Castle | ||
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 Attempt to reconstruct the castle, complete expansion in the 15th century, view from the east |
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| Creation time : | 1471 | |
| Castle type : | Hilltop castle | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Place: | Thörl | |
| Geographical location | 47 ° 31 '7.4 " N , 15 ° 13' 11.5" E | |
| Height: | 640 m above sea level A. | |
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The ruins of Schachenstein Castle are located in the municipality of Thörl , above the village not far from the Thörlbach, approx. 12 km northwest of Kapfenberg , state of Styria , ( Austria ).
Schachenstein is the last hilltop castle that was built in Styria. It served primarily as a fortified, stately home. The castle administrators were therefore not obliged to serve. Despite serious unrest such as the Baumkirch feud and the Turkish invasions, the castle was never subjected to a siege.
location
The location of the castle on the approx. 640 m above sea level. A. high rock (a southern branch of the Schöckelberg) was excellently chosen by its builders. It is located at a narrow section of the road leading from Einödgraben to Mariazell , which can be easily blocked and which was originally only secured by a barrier wall with a gate system . In the south, west and north, a rock break and steep side slopes made storming the castle almost impossible.
function
The fortress served the abbots of St. Lambrecht Abbey primarily as a residence or summer residence, as evidenced by a large number of documents issued here. As a further consequence of the closure of Mariazellerstraße and to protect the population of the Aflenz valley - which is economically very important for the monastery - and as a refuge in the event of Turkish and Hungarian invasions.
development
The Benedictine Abbey of St. Lambrecht had been fortunate in the Aflenz area since 1103 through a donation from the Duke of Carinthia. It was built with the consent of Emperor Friedrich II. By the abbot of the monastery, Johann II. Schachner von Lambrecht , whose name it also bears (“... ain gsloss on sand Siegmundsherperg located near their market in Zell, to pau People may flee to Zell ”). However, this building at Sigmundsherberg never came about. Instead, the imperial building permit should have been transferred to Schachenstein without further ado. In any case, an explicit permission for Thörl cannot be inferred from the available sources. According to a necrological entry in the monastery book of the dead, which was added later in the 16th century, construction began in 1471: "Anno domini 1471 [...] item eodem anno praedicus abbas" (Johannes Schachner) "inchoavit et constuxit castrum Schachenstein penes Thörl ”. The Habsburg coats of arms on the stove tiles found in the castle and the historically traditional “Imperial Room” of the fortress suggest a close proximity to the emperors Friedrich III. or Maximilian I, both of which, as far as the relevant written sources are correctly interpreted, were related to the owners and owners of the castle maintenance. Johann Schachner could, among other things, Emperor Friedrich III. owed his appointment as abbot and would have been obliged to the Habsburgs.
Abbot Schachner, who was born in this area, often stayed in the fortress, where he also died on June 22nd, 1478. The first document sealed there dates from 1473, which means that the castle could have been largely completed by that time. On April 29, 1479 chapel dedicated to St. Lambert was Bishop Christoph von Seckau consecrated . The Blasius patronage of the chapel came from a later time. It was pledged several times in the 16th century, but each time the monastery repurchased it. Around 1526, the castle keeper and gunsmith Sebald I von Pögel began various construction works to renovate and strengthen the fortifications due to the constant threat of Turkish invasions and also had a well built. The abbot of the monastery, Valentin, who came from Aflenz, granted Pögel a loan for this. Some expansion work took place in 1630 and 1740.
It is not known exactly when the castle began to fall into disrepair. The drawing of the fortress, made by Georg Matthäus Vischer in 1681, shows major damage to the structure. Obviously from this time on the roofs could no longer be preserved. The St. Lambrecht Monastery was increasingly struggling with economic difficulties due to major construction work, which meant that no more funds could be raised to renovate the already completely outdated defense system. From the end of the 18th century the castle had lost all importance. During this time it was probably abandoned by its last residents and degenerated into ruins. In the 1950s, members of the Thörl Comradeship Association began with the first stabilization measures on the existing wall to prevent it from falling into complete ruin. The castle is now privately owned and has since been mainly used for festivities and events by the Thörler Landsknecht troop "Schachensteiner". Recently, minor renovations have been carried out repeatedly.
building
The walls consist of mortared, unhewn field stones of various sizes. Only the corners of the building are composed of carefully hewn ashlar stones. The round key notches appeared in the late 15th century. The entrance to the castle is in the east. There, an advanced roundabout initially blocks the way. Then you have to pass the broad side of the tower-like forework in order to get to the main gate, which is additionally secured by a weir ditch. But you also come into the field of fire of the western bastion. From the outer bailey about 10 meters high walls with so-called key loopholes are still preserved. The outer bailey leads to the south courtyard, the east wall of which is still crowned with battlements. The fountain is also located there. It was exposed in 2001 to a depth of 17 meters.
The core of the castle consists of an inner courtyard, around which a two-wing residential building ( Palas ) is located. The stately living quarters could be heated by several comfortable smoke-free tiled stoves. The list of the renovation work and costs between 1525 and 1526 also includes the repair of the stove tiles, which means that they must have existed before this time. The tile fragments found in the rubble can be classified in the period from the middle of the 15th century to around 1500. The combination of different tile types is particularly noteworthy. Based on the typological findings, the setting of the associated furnace can be limited to the period between 1471, when construction began on the castle, and before 1525. During security work between 2001 and 2003, the location of one of these tiled stoves could be located in the northwest corner of building g (see plan from 1903). It was a rare stroke of luck for research that, in addition to the log chambers that were easily accessible from a historical point of view, the associated tiled stoves were also found in this part of the building. The log chambers, which have been known in fortress architecture since the 13th century, served as living rooms, but they were also used for representation.
The southern wing of the palace, visible from the village, only served as a fortification and had a bay window and two slightly protruding corner towers. The entrance to the bay window was carved directly out of the rock. A four-story tower stands above the hall leading to the inner courtyard. It houses the castle chapel in the Gothic style, which was covered with a rib vault that has now been destroyed. The interior is 7.5 meters long and 3.8 meters wide and consists of the two-bay nave and the choir. The ogival windows and doors are equipped with curved Gothic walls.
administration
After the death of Abbot Johann II, the administration ( castle hat ) of the fortress was in the hands of caretakers appointed by the St. Lambrecht monastery . They had no rights of disposal over larger estates, except over a farm and a flour mill. In the 15th century one of them also held the office of district judge for the Aflenz valley.
- from 1480, Jörg Hinterspuhler (district judge),
- around 1485, Siegmund Welzer,
- around 1505, Franziß Färber,
- from 1514, Sebald I. von Pögel (carer for life),
- from 1568, Clemens Mayr.
Note
A parking lot under the ruins is opposite Thörl No. 5. Walking time to the castle hill is approx. 10 minutes. The castle can only be viewed from the outside.
literature
- Josef Riegler, Municipality of Thörl (Ed.): History of the Municipality of Thörl , self-published, Hausmannstätten / Graz 1994, ISBN 3-901202-10-2 .
- Contributions to historical archeology. Festschrift for Sabine Felgenhauer-Schmiedt on her 60th birthday. Contributions to the medieval archeology of Austria, supplement 6/2003, ÖGM, therein: Karl Friedl, Karin Kühtreiber: A late medieval tiled stove from the castle ruins of Schachenstein, Styria, pp. 11–28.
See also
List of castles and palaces in Austria
Individual evidence
- ↑ Josef Riegler: 1994, pp. 203-209, Friedl / Kühtreiber, 2003, pp. 11-12
- ↑ Josef Riegler: 1994, pp. 203-209, Friedl / Kühtreiber, 2003, pp. 11-12
Web links
- Market town of Thörl - Schachenstein Castle
- Entry over Castle Schachenstein to Burgen-Austria
- Entry and pictures on fortifications in Styria.
- Contributions to historical archeology: Online publication of the Festschrift for Sabine Felgenhauer-Schmiedt with contribution Friedl / Kühtreiber and images of the stove tiles, pp. 14-17