Wasserberg Castle
The seamount Castle is a castle in the municipality Gaal at Knittelfeld , Styria , Austria .
location
The castle, which was once surrounded by a wide moat and swamps, is located on a small hill in the corner formed by the Ingering and Gaal streams.
history
The upper Ingeringtal and the Gaaltal came to the Archdiocese of Salzburg around 860 . The archbishops may have had a fortification built on the site of the later castle in the 10th century and manned it with Salzburg servants.
In 1174, Margrave Ottokar confirmed the donation of a forest near wazerperc by Poppo von Tirnberch to the Seckau monastery. The representative of the margrave, Reinbert von Mureck, showed the monastery the boundaries of this forest.
When the diocese of Seckau was founded in 1218, the Archbishop of Salzburg donated the area around Wasserberg to the Bishop of Seckau. Around 1260 Bernhard von Seckau had a castle built on the donation property, which was named after the area. In the 13th and 15th centuries, the castle was occasionally named after the owners Seccoburg = Seccauburg, but this did not prevail.
1261 appears as a burgrave of Bishop Otto von Wasserberg from the Galler family (Geuler). Dietmar aus der Geul, the father of the Styrian rhyming chronicler Ottokar from der Gaal , conquered the castle in 1276 and drove out the Bohemians after the castle had been handed over to the Bohemians by Bishop Wernhart von Seckau , who was on the side of King Ottokar . King Rudolf von Habsburg returned the castle to the Bishop of Seckau in the same year.
Bishop Rudmar von Hader (1337-1355) issued numerous documents in Wasserberg. In 1338 he received the right to fish on the Ingeringsee from Duke Albrecht II and in 1358 the right of patronage over the parish church in the Gaal.
In 1343 Otto the Geuler appears as a burgrave at the castle, in 1347 together with Niklas the Geuler, who held this office until 1367. Niklas Galler was succeeded as burgrave and district judge Nicla der Ennstaler, who still occupied this position in 1403.
In 1479 Bishop Christoph von Seckau gave Wasserberg to the Hungarians. In 1480 the castle was taken back by the imperial troops under field captain Andreas Lueger.
Bishop Christoph's successor, Bishop Matthias Scheit , sided with Emperor Friedrich III. Lueger did not want to surrender the castle and did some repugnance to the bishop's people , as a report said in 1482. According to an order of Emperor Friedrich III. Lueger finally gave the castle back to the Bishop of Seckau.
Under Bishop Matthias Scheit (1482–1503 / 12) the castle was expanded into a palace. In the course of a long dispute with the provost of Seckau, Bishop Matthias died excommunicated in Wasserberg in 1512. In 1482 Jörg Mertschtainer sat as episcopal burgrave at the castle, now again called Seccoburg.
In the 16th century, Andree Zach von Lobming (1521–1538) and Lienhardt Muerer (since 1540) were the bishop's administrators at the castle. The high Turkish taxes in 1555 forced Bishop Petrus to transfer the castle and rule of Wasserberg against redemption within 10 years by 10,000 fl to Christoph Haymer.
After the redemption, the estate was leased to Zacharias Gabelkhoven for 10 years in 1565. In 1573, Gabelkoven's widow took over the lease. In 1574, Paul Persicus, who was recommended by the Archbishop of Salzburg, and Adam von Gallenberg, who was recommended by Archduke Karl, applied for the completed lease. The bishop said in a letter that the matter will only attack after 14 days .
In 1590 the bishop went back to appointing administrators who had to put the bill:
- 1599–1603 Raimund Eberlein
- 1610–1630 Hans Jakob von Gabelkhoven
- 1640–1649 Hans Wilhelm Grießler
- 1649–1664 Martin von Ehrberg
- 1666–1671 Andreas Christoph von Rindsmaul (noble family)
- 1671–1690 Johann Egger
- 1690–1700 Franz Kammerlander
After the Thirty Years' War, the manager Martin von Ehrberg complained in 1649 that he had to give 40 servings of soldiers a day and hoped that these uninvited guests would leave again soon.
The Wasserberg rule comprised 36 mills, two stamps, a keep and subjects in widely scattered offices. Meadows, fields and alpine pastures belonged to the Meierhof.
In 1844, after almost 600 years in episcopal ownership, the rulership and Schloss Wasserberg were sold to Maximilian Seßler from the then most important trade family in the Mürz Valley. Until 1848 Seßler carried out significant extensions and alterations.
After Maximilian Seßler's death (1862), his heirs sold the castle to Julius Maya from Vienna in 1880. For a short time he ran a polygonal wood (5 years) and a scythe factory (2 years).
In 1884 the castle became the property of Gottfried Dub, who in 1891 sold it to Baron Hans von Westerhagen. He had a park created on the south and east sides of the palace.
After another change of ownership (Leopold Grünhut, 1893–1894), the subsequent owners, Count Max Arco-Zinneberg (1894–1897) and Prince Arnulf of Bavaria (1897–1906) implemented plans to adapt the castle for tourism. They rebuilt the building and in June 1895 opened the Alpenhotel with restoration for summer guests. In 1897 the business was expanded into a Kneipp and climatic spa facility with its own spa doctor.
The new owner, Karl von Thullieres, Count of Montjoye la Roche (1906–1912) stopped the hotel.
In 1913 the castle became the property of Heiligenkreuz-Neukloster Abbey . During the First World War, Russian officers were housed in Schloss Wasserberg, and after their departure in June 1915, wounded Austrian officers were billeted. In the interwar period, the castle housed a holiday colony for children in need of relaxation.
After Austria was annexed to Germany, Wasserberg Castle and the associated forests and lands were taken over by the Reich Forest Administration in 1939.
In 1945 the responsibility went to a trust administration of the state of Styria. The Heiligenkreuz Abbey initiated a restitution process in which a decision was made in its favor in 1950. The castle and the forest property were returned to the Heiligenkreuz Abbey.
owner
- 1260–1844 Diocese of (Graz-) Seckau
- 1844–1880 Maximilian Seßler (died 1862), then the Seßler family
- 1880-1884 Julius Maya
- 1884–1891 Gottfried Dub
- 1891-1893 Baron Hans von Westerhagen
- 1893–1894 Leopold Grünhut
- 1894–1897 Count Max Arco-Zinneberg
- 1897–1906 Prince Arnulf of Bavaria
- 1906–1912 Karl von Thuillieres, Count of Montjoye la Roche
- 1913–1939 Heiligenkreuz Abbey - Neukloster
- 1939–1945 Reich Forest Administration
- 1945–1950 Trustee administration of the Province of Styria
- since 1950 Heiligenkreuz Abbey
Art history
The four wings of the castle enclose a spacious courtyard. The round tower in the south-east corner has Romanesque structures and is the only one of the original four corner towers that has been preserved. The basement levels in the south, east and north wings are Gothic.
Next to the archway there is a tower in the north-western corner of the courtyard, the substructure of which is also Gothic. The upper floor with a pointed helmet, however, dates from the baroque era. The two bells date from the 14th and 15th centuries. On the tower are the coats of arms of Bishop Matthias Scheit (dated 1483), the industrialist Maximilian Seßler (dated 1846) and the abbot Gregor Pöck O.Cist. and Franz Gaumannmüller O.Cist. appropriate.
Some rooms in the palace were renovated in 2013 and the inner courtyard was redesigned. A fountain from the 15th century is uncovered in the southeast corner. The center of the courtyard is a 12 ton stone from the area ("water mountain"), crowned by a bird sculpture by Father Raphael Statt O.Cist.
Castle chapels
The castle chapel is in the north wing. During a restoration in 1976, the foundations of the chapel, which were changed in the 19th century, are exposed, as are the late Gothic frescoes visible in the courtyard (dated 1492). You can see: Mary with the Christ Child, on the right side St. Barbara, another saint on the left. In 1977 these exposed frescoes were restored.
The interior of the chapel is late Gothic with a star rib vault on bundled services. A copy of a painting by Martin Altomonte hangs on the neo-baroque altar. In front of the castle there is a small chapel, the Johannes Nepomuk Chapel . It is a baroque building with a semicircle and iron bars. The statue of St. Nepomuk dates from the third quarter of the 18th century, as do the wall paintings on the outside with depictions of saints in rococo frames.
literature
- Alkuin Schachenmayr : Wasserberg was owned by Heiligenkreuz 100 years ago, in: Sancta Crux 74 (2013), pp. 156–163.
- Meinhard Brunner, Walter Brunner , Odo Burböck, Franz Jäger: Gaal. History of the habitat and its inhabitants . Gaal 2000, pp. 431-437 and pp. 491-492
Web links
- Entry via Schloss Wasserberg to Burgen-Austria
- Wasserberg Castle
Individual evidence
- ↑ Mag. Meinhard Brunner: Gaal. History of the habitat and its inhabitants. Chapter: On the history of Schloss Wasserberg . Ed .: Walter Brunner. Self-published by the local community Gaal, p. 432-436 .
- ↑ Mag. Meinhard Brunner: Gaal. History of the living space and its inhabitants Chapter: On the art history of Schloss Wasserberg . Ed .: Walter Brunner. Self-published local community Gaal, 2000, p. 436 .
- ^ Cistercian Abbey Heiligenkreuz Abbey: Wasserberg Castle. Retrieved September 15, 2017 .
- ^ Walter Brunner, Odo Burböck: Gaal. History of the habitat and its inhabitants Chapter: History of the Christians and the Church of Gaal . Ed .: Walter Brunner. Self-published local community Gaal, 2000, p. 491 .
Coordinates: 47 ° 16 ′ 10 ″ N , 14 ° 41 ′ 12 ″ E