Dobersberg Castle

A medieval fortress in Dobersberg first appeared around 1305. The present-day castle can be seen as its successor and was constructed by Sigmund von Puchheim around 1520. However, his heirs had to sell the property in 1588 to Johann Ambros Brassican, who bequeathed it to his daughter Anna Sabina, married to Christoph Adam Fernberger.

During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was plundered by Bohemian troops.

In 1645, the imperial colonel Johann Ernst Freiherr von Montrichier purchased the estate from the Fernbergers, and in 1673, it came into the possession of Peter Freiherr von Ugate. In 1678, the Herberstein family acquired the castle and the estate. At the end of the 18th century, the Herberstein family sold all their properties in the Waldviertel region, including Schloss Dobersberg.

A new owner, Sebastian Edler von Güldenstein, emerged but leased the property. It wasn't until Philipp Ferdinand Graf von Grünne acquired Dobersberg in 1802 that the castle experienced a resurgence. He carried out extensive renovations and created a castle garden in the following years.

After the death of Philipp III. Graf von Grünne, the castle first passed to his mother and eventually to his nephew, Graf Friedrich von Szápáry.

In 1945, the castle was heavily damaged and suffered further during the subsequent years of Russian occupation. For example, the entire neoclassical interior was lost. In 1948, the municipality of Dobersberg purchased the building and began renovating it in 1972. Today, the premises house the municipal office and a natural history museum.

Schloss Dobersberg is a three-story, compact four-winged structure. The exterior corners and the center of the west side of the castle are adorned with round towers with curved cone roofs, while the southeast corner has a square tower with an onion dome. Originally, this tower had a gallery with a gabled roof, but during renovations in 1805, the current onion dome was constructed.

References:

• Wikipedia

Address

Schloßgasse 1, Dobersberg, Austria

Details

Founded: c. 1520
Category: Castles and fortifications in Austria