Schloss Schoenbuehel description and photos - Austria: Lower Austria (Topic)

Schloss Schoenbuehel description and photos - Austria: Lower Austria. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Schloss Schoenbuehel.

Photo and description

Schonbuhel Castle stands on the edge of a high and uneven cliff in the Wachau Valley at an altitude of 210 meters on the right bank of the Danube near Melk. Known as the "guardian of the Wachau", the castle has stood on this site for over 1000 years.

Older records in historical documents that mention Schonbuhel date back to 1135. Originally, the castle was built as the property of the Bishop of Passau. The site was chosen for the building, where a Roman fortress was once located. The earliest part of the palace dates back to the 12th century, but in subsequent centuries it was rebuilt several times.

The Schonbuhel family owned the castle for almost two hundred years until the death of its last member, Ulrich von Schonpichel, in the early 14th century. For a short period, the castle was in the hands of Konrad von Eisenbetel, and then in the ownership of the Melk monastery. However, the abbot was soon forced to sell the castle, and in 1396 the fortress was taken under the control of the brothers Kasper and Gundaker von Starhemberg. For more than four centuries, von Starhemberg's descendants enlarged and improved the castle. Among them was Bartholomew von Starhemberg, who was one of the first members of the Austrian aristocracy who advocated for Lutheranism in 1482. This led to the creation of a strong Protestant tradition in the castle, which continued until 1639, when Konrad von Balthasar Starhemberg converted back to Catholicism and, as a sign of his commitment, built a monastery near the castle.

The most famous of the Starhemberg family, who owned the castle, Ernst Rudiger, played a decisive role in protecting the capital of Austria, Vienna, from the Turkish invasion in the late 17th century. His great-grandson Ludwig Josef Gregor sold the castle in 1819 to Count Franz von Beroldinger. It is said that the last few generations of the Starhembergs did not live in the castle. So when Count Beroldinger bought it, everything inside was abandoned. However, he rebuilt the castle and turned it into a residential one.

In 1930, his grand-nephew sold the castle to Count von Oswald, who lost the castle during the war and Soviet occupation. However, in 1955, Schonbuhel Castle was returned to the family and remains in their possession to this day.

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Topic: Schloss Schoenbuehel description and photos - Austria: Lower Austria.