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Schloss Aistersheim is a water castle from the late Renaissance period. It was first mentioned in documents in 1159 with Dietmar von Aistersheim. The medieval building was replaced by a new building in the second half of the 16th century. By around 1600, the construction work was completed. The Hohenfeld family had meanwhile converted to Protestantism. Otto Achaz von Hohenfeld refused to pay homage to Emperor Ferdinand II as the new sovereign in 1619. As a result, Tilly's Bavarian troops besieged the castle the following year, which was defended by peasants under the caretaker Wolf Kessel. After a few days, it was captured. Kessel paid for his resistance with his head, and most of the peasants were hanged.
During the great Upper Austrian Peasants' War under Stefan Fadinger, Aistersheim became one of the centers of peasant resistance. After Fadinger's death, it served as the headquarters and loot storage for Achaz Wiellinger von der Au. The lordship archive was destroyed at that time. During the subsequent conquest by the Bavarian governor in Upper Austria, Adam Graf Herberstorff, the building was severely damaged. Afterward, dozens of peasants were hanged from the trees. The Hohenfeld family eventually converted back to Catholicism. Their knighthood was confirmed, and Ferdinand von Hohenfeld was elevated to the rank of imperial count in 1669.
A fire in 1771 caused significant damage, necessitating several baroque-style renovations. In the first half of the 19th century, the exterior facades were renewed. With Field Marshal Lieutenant Otto Adolf Graf Hohenfeld, the family died out in 1824. His four sisters sold the lordship in 1830 to Johann Karl Dworzak. Through inheritance from the estate of Elisabeth Dworzak, the castle passed to her niece Elisabeth Birnleitner (née Korompay). Elisabeth Birnleitner subsequently acquired further shares from co-heirs. After Elisabeth Birnleitner's death in 2011, ownership passed to her husband and ambassador a.D. Heinrich Birnleitner.
The three-story rectangular structure has four squat round towers at the corners, which protrude significantly. These towers are topped with conical roofs. The castle is still completely surrounded by a pond, over which two wooden bridges lead to the simple gates. The almost two-and-a-half-meter-thick outer walls rest on a large number of wooden piles. The ground floor, designed as a plinth, is rusticated. The gate tower on the north side facing the village dates from the 13th century but was later rebuilt and transformed into a slender clock and bell tower during the Baroque period. The preferred entrance today leads from the farm buildings to the rear front. Above it is a balcony with a wrought-iron railing. The spacious courtyard features arcades on all four facades, with the arches on the second floor being only half as wide as those on the two lower floors but twice as numerous. Two open staircases are diagonally opposite each other. Three pointed arch gates date from the Gothic construction period.
The interior of the castle is predominantly modern. However, noteworthy is the two-story knight's hall, which once extended across the entire narrow side of the east wing. It is considered one of the most significant Renaissance halls in Upper Austria. The Italian-influenced frescoes in the stucco-framed ceiling panels depict mythological scenes. Two large door panels bear the year 1645. The six oil paintings are works by the painter Stephan Kessler from Brixen im Thale. The castle chapel is housed in the northeastern corner tower. Under the stuccoed flat dome stands a mighty altar from 1658, adorned with life-sized statues. The remaining furnishings, including a rare portable organ, also date from the 17th century. An impressive Renaissance door with inlays and carvings leads to the chaplain's room.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.