Sighartstein Castle

The Sighartstein Castle is located in the same district of the municipality Neumarkt am Wallersee in the Flachgau in the state of Salzburg .

history

Eckhart von Tann handed over the Sighartstein farm to the Raitenhaslach monastery in 1297 . These goods were returned to the family by exchange in 1340. In 1372 the Salzburg Archbishop Pilgrim II acquired the farm. In the first half of the 15th century the Uiberackers exchanged their three estates "Mos, Mittenrewt et Pawngarten" behind the Lueg pass for the Sigharting farm as a free property . Virgil Uiberacker had pawed around 1450 "dy Veste gen dem Sigharczstain in the Grunt of the court at Sigharting new" .

On June 29, 1452, the castle chapel was opened in the new castle by Georg von Uiberacker, the then bishop of Seckau , St. Sigmund and St. Consecrated to Helena . On January 24, 1456, the chapel was granted indulgences by Cardinal Nikolaus Cusanus . In 1765 Anton Graf Uiberacker donated a benefit . The new palace chapel was built around 1600 in the courtyard southeast of the main palace. The older chapel in the castle building was profaned . Today's chapel is equipped with a groin vault, which in the apse merges into a lancet vault on pillars. The altarpiece of the high altar from 1747 depicts Saint Sigmund and Saint Helena. Above is a Mother of God with a child. In the 18th century the chapel was redesigned in Baroque style and given a trapezoidal porch. The tabernacle with its substructure and reliquary comes from the Rococo period. A to St. The side altar, consecrated to Anthony , dates from the first quarter of the 18th century, the organ from 1740. In 1896 the chapel had two bells from 1666 and 1869.

On May 31, 1541, Emperor Charles V renewed the Hofmarksrechte (lower jurisdiction) and freedoms of Sighartstein in Regensburg . The then three-storey castle could be reached via a staircase through the jumps raised around the castle. The circular wall was covered with slabs in 1585. At the same time, the courtyard was filled up so that the church and gatehouse could be built in 1589. A "gate" as the Hofmarks border has been documented since the 15th century, and this was the prerequisite for the elevation to the baron class (1669) and later to the count class (April 20, 1688). The imperial liberation was linked to the right that the owner of the tavern (today Schlosswirt Sighartstein), which had existed since 1444, was "allowed to drive to Austria for wine and sell it under the tire".

Wolf Max Uiberacker, kuk General Feldwachtmeister in the War of the Spanish Succession , had the castle renovated in major parts in 1714; further construction work is documented for 1720, 1736/37 and 1792. The gatekeeper's house was also built over, otherwise the late medieval castle construction was significantly changed. Towards the end of the 19th century, a room depth was added to the east up to the previously freely running curtain wall, which is closed off by a terrace. A fountain in the forecourt with the statue of St. Sighart dates from 1893, a stone statue of St. Johannes Nepomuk on the castle hill from the 18th century.

The court rights were renewed by Archbishop Sigismund von Schrattenbach in 1754, but in 1820 the rule was raised and handed over to the municipality of Neumarkt.

Sighartstein Castle today

The castle rises on a steeply sloping rock nose, the Sighartstein. The east side still gives a defensive impression today. The terrain slopes gently to the west; here one encounters a facade and attic design from the 18th century. The facade itself is kept simple (square plinth, smooth facade with rectangular plaster flaps around the windows, corner pilaster strips and profiled main cornices).

The entrance is via a drawbridge, which was typical of a baroque building. A torrisalit with the double coat of arms of the Uiberacker and the O'Donnells leads to the castle (the O'Donnells are related by marriage to the Uiberacker; Karl O'Donnell saved the life of Emperor Franz Josef on February 18, 1853 in an attempted assassination , for which the Votive Church was built in Vienna). The main portal is highlighted by a studded baroque door; behind it is the wrought iron reinforced staircase from 1714. Next to it is the watchman's room, which is equipped with stab cap barrels. The barrel-vaulted basement floors with the imprints of the board formwork still indicate the medieval construction. The living rooms are furnished with rich stucco ceilings, the fireplace walls are paneled with Adnet marble . Baroque door frames with top gables and double-leaf panels are part of the furnishings of the stately rooms. A rococo oven comes from Pfongau Castle . An extensive collection of weapons and portraits, which came together in the service of the archbishops because of the military careers of the Uiberackers, is scattered about the house.

Numerous historical personalities such as Empress Maria Theresia , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Napoleon Bonaparte , Arturo Toscanini and the opera diva Maria Callas were guests in this property.

The castle remained in the possession of the Uiberacker until 1964. On February 24, 1964, Gabrielle Pálffy, née Uiberacker, took over the property for her son Martin Pállfy. For a while, part of the castle was used as a hotel. The property then became the property of Arnold Henhapl; In 1992 he had sold Salzburg Messe AG to the British Reed Group and then acquired the baroque palace. For 15 years he had tried to sell the castle and the 7.2 hectare property. In 2009 he slipped into bankruptcy, on September 16, 2009 bankruptcy proceedings were opened at the Salzburg Regional Court over Henhapl's assets. The bankruptcy proceedings are still pending. On June 27, 2012, the castle was put up for auction at a price of EUR 3.75 million. However, no bidder was found. Almost four months later, the castle was sold to Baron Ernst von Gecmen-Waldeck for 3 million euros.