Starhemberg Castle (Eferding)

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South facade of the New Palace

The Starhemberg Castle , and Castle Eferding called, is at the heart of the Upper Austrian town of Eferding and except for a brief interruption in the period 1630 to 1660 for about 450 years owned by the princely family Starhemberg .

In the same place there was an official seat of the Diocese of Passau as early as the 12th century , which was sold to the Counts of Schaunberg in the 14th century . They had today's north wing built, which in the 16th century was preceded by a small outer bailey in the south. After the Schaunbergs died out in the 16th century, their heirs, the Starhembergers, had the castle built into a palace and redesigned before the complex was changed one last time in the 18th century in the classicism style . The current owner of the property is the ninth Prince of Starhemberg, Georg Adam.

Starhemberg Castle is a member of the Austrian association Via Imperalis , which takes care of the promotion and preservation of European cultural assets. In addition to a private library, the palace buildings also house three museums that deal with the history of Eferding and the palace owners. In addition, the facility has been used as a cultural center since 1987, where numerous public events take place.

history

The beginnings

In the Middle Ages, Eferding belonged to the rulership of the Passau bishops, who in the 12th century owned a manor on the site of today's castle. A reference to the existence of this episcopal official residence can be found in a document from 1167, in which Bishop Albo von Passau Gebhard von Wilhering confirmed the right to cast a castle on a farm in Eferding. A later castle may have developed from it, which was first mentioned in 1255 as Castro nostra Euerdinge . That year, Bishop Otto von Lonsdorf handed over the castle hat to Konrad von Hartheim.

The town castle of the Schaunberger (1367–1559)

On November 4, 1367, the needy bishop Albert III sold. Town and castle as a perpetual fiefdom for 4,000  guilders to Count Ulrich I von Schaunberg and his brother Heinrich VII. During the Schaunberg feud , in which Reinprecht II von Walsee on behalf of the Habsburg Duke Albrechts III. Eferding besieged and captured, the castle was briefly pledged from January 1382 to the Rosenbergs , allied with the Schaunbergers . After Henry VII had submitted to the Habsburgs after the lost feud , he received Eferding Castle back in 1383 as an Austrian fief .

At the beginning of the 15th century, the Schaunbergers rebuilt the castle, and this new building was designated in a marriage letter by Count Johann II von Schaunberg in a marriage letter as the widow's residence for his wife Anna von Pettau. It was probably the current northern main building, which was located on the northeast corner of the city at that time. The city ​​castle was protected by a moat on the city side in the south and west and another moat- like moat in front of the north and east wings. The city ​​wall of Eferdings took over the function of a curtain wall on the north and east sides , which was not there on the castle. Additional protection was provided by three round towers in the east, west and south-east, which at the same time secured the small outer bailey in front of the palace . At the time, the south-east of them was a kind of main tower of the complex. Due to its low height and wall thickness, it is out of the question as a keep . What the eastern rotunda was used for can no longer be determined today, as it was completely demolished during construction work between 1785 and 1788 and replaced by an extension. The tower on the west side could be identified as a gate tower . There was a pedestrian gate right next to his gate . It is not certain whether the castle had a drawbridge at that time .

Transition from the city castle to the palace (1559–1785)

Excerpt from the copper engraving by Matthäus Merians published in 1649 with the parish church of Eferdings and the castle behind it

At the beginning of the 16th century, the Schaunbergers relocated their headquarters from the Schaunberg family castle to Eferding. When their family died out due to the death of Count Wolfgang II on June 12, 1559, the castle in Eferding, along with other possessions and assets, came to the von family through the children of Wolfgang's sister Anna, who married Erasmus I of Starhemberg in 1530 Starhemberg. Erasmus II von Starhemberg sold the brewery in the palace complex in today's Schmiedstrasse to a citizen of Eferding in 1604 , but without the brewing justice associated with the house . A document from 1608, which documents real estate transactions near today's brewery between Erasmus II and the city council of Eferding, suggests that a new building was built as a brewery at the current location .

During the 16th century the facility was fundamentally rebuilt. For example, on older foundations in the north-east corner of the city wall, another entrance was created, through which, however, one could not get into the then two-story hall. A third, much higher floor was probably added to this around 1600 and a staircase was added. In the outer bailey, two long wing wings were created on the east and west sides. After 1625 the facility was further expanded. Another two-storey wing of the building was erected on the southern side, so that the four-wing palace complex delimited a rectangular inner courtyard. The west wing was given an arcade on the courtyard side , the arches of which were supported by pillars . The oldest illustration of the castle, a copper engraving by Matthäus Merian from the Topographia Germaniae published in 1649, shows the complex with four small watch towers and a dominant clock tower .

In two floor plans drawn up by the Viennese master builder Andreas Zach in the last quarter of the 18th century, the construction status of the facility at that time is recorded.

In 1630 , Count Erasmus II von Starhemberg, who got into financial difficulties due to the Thirty Years' War , had to pledge the property to his main creditors, Messrs. Füll von und zu Grünerzhofen, and leave the country as a Protestant . After the Grünerzhofer family died out in 1660, Konrad Balthasar von Starhemberg, who was raised to the rank of imperial count in 1643, was able to repurchase the complex. His son Ernst Rüdiger succeeded his father in 1687 as Herr von Eferding and is known as the defender of Vienna during the Second Turkish Siege.

Georg Adam I had the castle redesigned in the 18th century

The representative castle of Andreas Zach (from 1785)

Georg Adam I von Starhemberg , who was raised to the rank of imperial prince on November 18, 1765 , and from 1783 chief steward at the Austrian imperial court in Vienna , had his ancestors' palace redesigned in the classicism style between the summer of 1785 and 1788. The builder Andreas Zach provided the plans. The changes mainly affected the early modern south and west wings. With the exception of the cellar, the east and north wings remained completely untouched. The changes in the west wing were limited to the demolition of the old gate tower and the expansion of the second floor. In contrast, in the south wing, the interior was gutted, the western tower was demolished and a second floor was built, a major change in appearance. The south wing was given special emphasis through the creation of a small, upstream palace garden designed by the prince himself . The construction costs did not even amount to 100,000 guilders. Up until the 18th century, the last defensive fortifications of the former castle were demolished, including the filling of the trenches on the west and south sides.

Since the members of the Starhemberg family always held high offices at the Viennese court or held diplomatic posts abroad, the palace was rarely permanently inhabited in the 19th century. Only a few structural changes took place at that time. Among the noteworthy are the gothic courtyard facade of the palace and a tower structure, which was removed again at the end of the 19th century. Due to the role of Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg as federal leader of the Austrian Home Guard, the National Socialists expropriated him in 1938. The castle was then used for the Reich Labor Service ; Ernst Rüdiger Starhemberg received it back after the end of the Second World War in 1945. In 1956, for financial reasons, the owners had to auction some of the valuable library holdings and the weapons collection. The books on offer attracted a lot of attention due to their first-class condition and the high quality of the bindings. In addition to a manuscript fragment by Willehalm from the second half of the 13th century, important works by Johannes Kepler (Ephemerides) and the Annales Ferdinandei , a collection of so-called Gothic Stories , English ghost, horror and horror novels in 360 volumes was auctioned .

The former brewery was still used as a beer depot until the second half of the 20th century and was bought by the city of Eferding in 1978.

Todays use

The castle is the residence of the head of the Starhemberg family. It also houses three museums and is used as Eferding's cultural center.

Castle library

The castle's private library offers a wide range of literary works and reflects the interests of the lords of the castle over a period of several centuries. The palace library currently contains around 6,000 volumes. In addition to German-language books, it includes works in English, French and Spanish, as well as occasionally books in Italian and Latin. The English and French language works can be attributed to the time when Georg Adam I von Starhemberg was the imperial ambassador at the French court in Paris and his son Ludwig at the English court in London . Most of the publications in Spanish are modern literature. Prince Heinrich Rüdiger shaped this part of the library through his interests in politics and drama. The inventory includes works such as the theater volumes Trilogie der Freiheit , Der Zopf im Frame and games and escapades , which are available in both German and Spanish. The majority of German-language books come for the most part from Starhemberger castles, which were sold in the 20th century. Improper storage has left these books in poor condition. Well-preserved works changed hands at an auction in 1956. The library holdings still preserved still offer a clear and complete presentation of the legal relationships in the Empire, the administration, the military and the Austrian imperial family. It also includes all works by MEP Otto von Habsburg and many works from the period between the two world wars.

Castle museums

The north wing of the palace has housed two museums since 1962: the Eferding City Museum, which is combined with the Princely Starhemberg Family Museum, and the smaller Heimwehr Museum with a comprehensive collection of exhibits such as documents, flags and posters on the history of the Austrian Heimwehr. The museums are open on weekends and public holidays from May to September. The exhibits consist of memorabilia and found objects that provide an insight into the history of Eferding and the royal family. In addition, various special exhibitions have already taken place in the museum rooms.

The ancestral hall

The ancestral hall is the center of the palace museum. Over 50 larger-than-life pictures of family members of the Starhemberg family hang on the walls. The works were commissioned by Count Konrad Balthasar in 1680. There is also a restored organ that was installed in the old Linz Cathedral until 1964 . It is believed that the composer Anton Bruckner played on it during his time as the Linz Cathedral organist .

The guild hall reflects urban life in Eferding. Guild flags and runes, tools of the trade and everyday items of the bourgeoisie provide an insight into the life of the residents at the turn of the modern era. Adjacent is a stylishly furnished farmhouse parlor.

The weapons hall was redesigned in 1999. A special exhibit there is the telescope used by Count Ernst Rüdiger during the Second Turkish Siege of Vienna . In addition, numerous Turkish prey weapons, cutting and stabbing weapons from the time of the Upper Austrian Peasant War as well as a collection of old rifles can be seen. The agate table top from Kara Mustafa Pasha's tent also comes from the Turkish siege .

A magnificent renaissance door from 1593 leads into the porcelain hall . The name of the room can be traced back to the valuable Chinese, Japanese and old Viennese porcelain exhibited in the hall . In addition, a colorfully glazed Renaissance tiled stove from 1580, a coffered ceiling and a quartet or song table by Eferdingen stone etcher Andreas Pleninger from 1579 can be seen. There are also many family memories, such as the Starhemberg Cup and the table at which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his opera The Magic Flute .

The on the porcelain hall bordering costume hall bears his name from there issued, precious uniforms and costumes. To see include the dress uniform of the Vienna defender Ernst Rüdiger, the uniform of the Home Guard leader of the same name and Mexican memorabilia from Prince Camillo and a beaded chasuble Kara Mustafa Pasha.

The Schaunbergersaal provides an insight into the history of the former city lords through an exhibited model of the castle and pieces found during excavations . Archaeological finds and finds from prehistory and the time of the Roman occupation can also be seen.

Cultural center

Starhemberg Castle has been used as a cultural center since 1987. Among other things, conferences are held there regularly under the name Efferdingen Talks . Furthermore, the non-profit association Efferdinger Kulturinstitut, founded in the summer of 1991, organizes exhibitions, concerts, lectures and other cultural events in the palace rooms. Every year in the run-up to Christmas, the castle grounds host an Advent market. Some rooms in the castle can be rented all year round for private purposes and for events.

description

Site plan of the castle

Starhemberg Castle is a closed four-wing complex whose yellow plastered tracts enclose a rectangular inner courtyard. The medieval moats still exist on the north and east sides . The northern wing of the complex is called the Old Castle because of its construction date , while the three remaining wings are called the New Castle . Access to the palace area is provided by an artfully forged gate in the south and a second gate in the northeast corner of the complex. Its walls made of inclined chiseled stone originate from the Renaissance period and are unique in Upper Austria. The main entrance to the castle is on the west side of the area, which still has remains of the old surrounding wall there and in the north and east. In the south, the complex is separated from the city by a small, simple castle park .

architecture

Old castle

Floor plan of the castle after reconstruction in the 18th century

The three-storey north wing is the oldest part of the palace and essentially identical to the palas of the Schaunberg Castle from the late Middle Ages . Only the second floor and some extensions on the southern front are from a later period. The medieval half- hipped roof of the 21.3 × 34.66 meter building was replaced by a high modern hipped roof. Some architectural details, such as window niches framed with round bars and grooved cross- frame windows made of carefully crafted stone are evidence of high-quality craftsmanship.

In the north wing there is a Romanesque vaulted cellar with walls up to 3.90 meters thick. Its mighty barrel vault with pointed caps is supported by massive cross-shaped pillars that are connected to one another by chamfered round arches . The brewery used to be located there. The outer walls on the raised ground floor are 2.50 to 3.30 meters thick. Continuous walls replace the pillars of the cellar and create six large rooms. Preserved access passages indicate a possible residential use. The main floor of the building was probably accessible via a courtyard-facing staircase on the first floor, the outer walls of which are about 2.20 to 3.00 meters thick. There is a centrally located 9 × 16 meter hall with the ancestral hall , which is flanked on each side by two small rooms. With the exception of the large room, the room structure corresponds exactly to that of the basement and the ground floor. A small tower-like extension with a ribbed vault at the eastern end of the south side served as the house chapel .

On the second floor, the wall thickness is reduced to just 0.90 to 1.30 meters. In contrast to the floors below, this floor has flat ceilings with the exception of the vaulted staircase .

New lock

Design for the facade of the classicist south wing

The two-storey east wing, Verwalterstöckl , belongs with its Gothic door frames and window lintels also the medieval building stock of the plant. In its northern part it has vaults with lancing cap barrels . A four-arched arcade with Tuscan columns extends in front of him on the courtyard side .

The west building with its gate entrance has pillar arcades on the courtyard side from the period between 1784 and 1788. The early modern interior structure of the wing has largely been preserved and has a groin vault and a lancet barrel vault on the ground floor . On the first floor there is a continuous needle cap barrel, on the second floor a flat ceiling construction.

The classicist south wing has a representative side facing the city. A continuous cornice above the ground floor supports the floors above. The facade is divided into eleven axes by windows, the design of which is partially repeated on the front of the west wing, and has a three-axis central risalit with arched windows. A narrow balcony with a wrought-iron lattice is built in front of the middle one and rests on curved stone consoles . The first and second floors are optically combined in the area of ​​the risalit by four Ionic three-quarter columns. Above it follows a triangular gable with the princely Starhemberg coat of arms. The two corners of the southern facade are closed by pilasters with Ionic capitals . Inside the south wing, on the first floor, there is a central hall with access to the balcony. To the left and right of it are the Enfilade , the former apartments of the Prince and Princess.

Brewhouse

The formerly stately Starhemberg brewery is located in front of the castle gate north of the castle. The complex comprises two two-storey buildings that stand parallel to each other and with connecting walls at the ends of the buildings encompass a longitudinally rectangular inner courtyard. Both walls have a through gate. The slightly wider west wing has a half-hip roof, while the narrower east wing is closed off by a gable roof . Both tracts are characterized by vaulted structures. In the southern part of the east wing there are eight cells of the former stately prison, which was used until the abolition of manorial rule in 1848.

The porcelain room with mannerist door frame, coffered ceiling and tiled stove

Interior

On the second floor of the north wing, some of Count Georg III's. The representative rooms commissioned by Schaunberg include magnificent coffered ceilings and door frames from the late Renaissance period, as well as tiled stoves , some of which are still part of the building's original inventory. The other interior decoration dates from the times when the Starhemberg castle owners were. This includes, for example, the inlaid ceiling of a hall from the end of the 16th century. It was originally installed in Hartheim Castle, which is also owned by Starhemberg, and was only moved to a nursing home in Eferding after the First World War when it was rededicated.

Among the art-historically particularly valuable furnishings include the large pompous tiled stove, which was created in 1580 by the Linz master potter Paul Zilpolz, as well as the wooden inlaid ceiling in the so-called porcelain room .

The rooms of the south wing have predominantly flat ceilings with partly classicistic stucco mirrors .

literature

  • Erich Aufreiter: Construction of Eferding Castle . Office of the Upper Austrian Provincial Government, Linz 1997.
  • Rudolf Büttner: Castles and palaces on the Danube . Birken-Verlag, Vienna 1964, p. 21.
  • Erwin Hainisch : Monuments of the fine arts of history and culture in the political district of Eferding . Haslinger, Linz 1933, p. 60 ff.
  • Erwin Hainisch, Kurt Woisetschläger: Dehio manual . The art monuments of Austria: Upper Austria . 6th edition. Schroll, Vienna 1977, p. 55.
  • Georg Heilingsetzer : Aristocracy, Enlightenment and Architecture. Prince Georg Adam Starhemberg and the redesign of Eferding Castle by Andreas Zach. In: Oberösterreichisches Landesarchiv (Ed.): Messages from the Upper Austrian Provincial Archives. Volume 13, Linz 1981, ISSN  0259-4145 , pp. 249–287, here pp. 280–287 ( part 1 (PDF; 5.2 MB) in the forum OoeGeschichte.at, part 2 (PDF; 6.3 MB) in the forum OoeGeschichte. at, pictures part 1 (PDF; 3.7 MB) in the forum OoeGeschichte.at, pictures part 2 (PDF; 6.5 MB) in the forum OoeGeschichte.at).
  • Franz Kaindl (Red.): Eferding. City on the Nibelungenstrasse . Moserbauer, Ried im Innkreis 1999, ISBN 3-902121-20-3 .
  • Gerhard Reichhalter, Thomas Kühtreiber : The late medieval castle building in Upper Austria . In: Lothar Schultes (Ed.): Gotik Schätze Oberösterreich . 2nd Edition. Publication P No 1, Library of the Province, Weitra 2002, ISBN 3-85252-472-5 ( Catalogs of the Upper Austrian State Museum . No. 175), pp. 72–73.
  • Ilse Schöndorfer: Castles and palaces in Upper Austria . NP-Buchverlag, St. Pölten / Vienna / Linz 2001, ISBN 3-85326-189-2 , pp. 100, 105.
  • Venator KG (ed.): Library, weapons of the Princes Starhemberg, Eferding Castle with some other contributions . Venator KG, Cologne 1956.

Web links

Commons : Starhemberg Castle  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

References and comments

  1. ↑ Abono (alias Albinus), Bishop of Passau, confirms Abbte Gebhard von Wilhering's right to cast a castle on a court in Efferding and an exchange of his ancestors with the monastery . In:  Upper Austrian document book . Volume 2, No. CCXXVIII, Ebelsberg, July 14, 1167, p. 333 (Burgrecht in "Efridingen").
  2. ↑ G. Heilingsetzer: Aristocracy, Enlightenment and Architecture , p. 280.
  3. ↑ Otto, Bishop of Passau, gives the Chunrat von Hartheim the Burghuth of Eferding Castle . In:  Upper Austrian document book . Volume 3, No. CCXXXIII, 1255, p. 224 (“Castro nostra Euerdinge”).
  4. ^ A b Laurin Luchner: Castles in Austria. Second volume. Upper Austria, Styria, Carinthia, Salzburg, Tyrol and Vorarlberg. CH Beck, Munich 1983, ISBN 3-406-04508-1 , p. 19.
  5. ↑ Contract between the Bishop and Capitel zu Passau on the one hand and Count Ulrich and Heinrich von Schaunberg on the other hand, by means of which they receive the Eferding market for 4000 pounds Pfenning and some church fees . In:  Upper Austrian document book . Volume 8, No. CCCLIII, Vienna, November 4, 1367, p. 344.
  6. ^ Julius Strnadt : Peuerbach. An attempt at legal history . In: 27. Report on the Museum Francisco-Carolinum . Verlag des Museum Francisco-Carolinum, Linz 1868, p. 401 ( online ).
  7. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j Entry by Patrickschicht zu Eferding (Starhemberg Castle) in the scientific database " EBIDAT " of the European Castle Institute, accessed on September 13, 2016.
  8. ↑ eferdingerschlosskonzerte.at , accessed on February 16, 2010.
  9. ↑ a b Entry about Eferding - Starhemberg Castle on Burgen-Austria , accessed on February 17, 2010.
  10. ↑ univie.ac.at , accessed on February 17, 2010.
  11. ↑ E. Hainisch: Monuments of the fine arts of history and culture in the political district of Eferding , p. 60 ff.
  12. ↑ The two plans show the ground floor and the second floor. A plan of the first floor is missing so far.
  13. ↑ G. Heilingsetzer: Aristocracy, Enlightenment and Architecture , p. 285.
  14. ↑ G. Heilingsetzer: Aristocracy, Enlightenment and Architecture , p. 283.
  15. ^ Venator KG (ed.): Library, weapons of the princes Starhemberg, Eferding Castle, with some other contributions . Venator KG, Cologne 1956, (auction catalog 15–16, September 15–18, 1956).
  16. ^ Museum portrait on the castle website , accessed on April 5, 2010.
  17. ↑ Geographic coordinates: 48 ° 18 ′ 47.2 ″  N , 14 ° 1 ′ 26 ″  E

Coordinates: 48 ° 18 ′ 40.6 ″  N , 14 ° 1 ′ 24.8 ″  E

This version was added to the list of articles worth reading on April 9, 2010 .