Seebenstein Castle is located in Seebenstein in Lower Austria. The hilltop castle consists of two structures, the old part with a circular keep and a ruined 13th-century palace. Century and the high castle from the fifteenth to the seventeenth century. The latter houses an important collection of medieval weapons and art, including a statue of Mary of Veit Stoss.
Burg Seebenstein History
The latest investigations on Seebenstein Castle indicate that it was built around 1180/1230. The first written mention of the name "Seebenstein" dates back to 1159/64 as Kalhoch zu Seebenstein in a district court of Margrave Ottokar III.
The castle was probably built and owned by followers of the noble family of the Counts Formbach, who owned the main castle in and around Pitten. Male members of this clan, who also built or owned surrounding castles and palaces, were mostly called "Gerhard". So it seems likely that one of this "Gerhard" clan could also be considered the builder of Seebenstein Castle.
In 1284, a Jutta von Seebenstein is mentioned, whose sons Gerhard and Albero sold the Seebenstein estate to Heinrich von Stubenberg. At the latest in 1316, the castle itself was in the possession of the Stubenbergers, as it was promised as a guarantee for a property purchase in documents that have been preserved. In 1403 Niklas von Sebeck, who came from a knighthood, bought the castle. After his death, the Seebenstein estate was bought by his heirs in 1432 from the brothers Königsberg Konrad, Bild 368.jpg Heinrich and Dietmar and their cousin Erhard. The Königsbergers belonged to the Pitten nobility and became a powerful noble family in southern Lower Austria. Wolf Matthäus in particular has invested large sums of money in the renovation and the current appearance of the castle can mainly be traced back to these restorations. Wolf Matthäus died in 1653 childless and in debt. Carl von Pergen already has substantial shares of the Seebenstein estate in his possession through bonds and now buys the castle himself from the Königsberger heirs. The Pergen family remained in possession of Seebenstein Castle until 1824.
In 1694 Johann Baptist had a castle built downstream, which means that the castle began to fall into decline. It is thanks to his daughter-in-law, Maria Elisabetta, who invested her own funds in the renovation of the castle, that the castle has not completely deteriorated. It is worth mentioning that in 1788 the castle was leased to Anton David Steiger, "Edler von Amstein", who had extensive restoration work carried out. He also founded the Wildenstein Knighthood for the Blue Earth. This knighthood included high dignitaries of the time, including. Archduke Johann. The then Emperor Franz I also visited Seebenstein and Steiger Castle. In 1824 Johann Karl Pergen sold Seebenstein Castle to Prince Johannes v. Liechtenstein. The Liechtensteiners romanticized the castle according to the fashion taste of the time by removing the individual components and thus causing a sort of artificial decay. The erection of the Turkish waterfall in nearby Gleißenfeld was also commissioned by the princes of Liechtenstein.
In 1848 Seebenstein Allodialgut was administered by Schottwien. In 1942 Mrs Lily Nehammer bought Seebenstein Castle. Today Mrs. Christine Vopava is the owner. Noteworthy is the keep built around 1380, about 23 m high, and the triangular castle chapel. Some of the approximately 40 rooms of the castle are used as a museum and can be visited. Works of art and paintings, as well as a precious tapestry, statues of the Virgin Mary and a small collection of weapons are among the castle's treasures.