Schloss Dornhofen is located in the village of Hart bei Eggersdorf in the town of Eggersdorf near Graz. The origins of the castle date back to the 17th century. It is now privately owned and houses a restaurant and venue for cultural events.
Schloss Dornhofen History
On the site of today's castle there were two farms, the Dorner and the Pluemberghof, which were sold to Otto von Radmannsdorf around 1580 by Maria von Wilfersdorf until the 17th century. This allowed the farms to grind and began building a castle, which was engaged in 1601 due to the high debts of its owner in the form of a shell. Gottfried von Falbenhaupt purchased the unfinished building and had the building completed by 1624. From Falbenhaupt the castle passed in 1656 to Maria Rosina Freiin von Eibiswald, who was inherited by her daughter Maria Eusebia Contessa Galler. At that time also subjects in the Straden parish belonged to the estate. In 1720 the castle was inherited by Countess Steinpeiß Maria Eleonore and in 1733 by her son Ferdinand Josef Graf Prankh, who in 1746 sold the estate to the Archbishop of Vienna Sigismund von Kollonitz. The cardinal bequeathed the castle to his adopted nephew Ladislao Freiherr Zay von Csömör and the property remained until the year 1870 in the possession of the Kollonitz family of Kollograd.
After 1870 there was a frequent change of owners. In the period after 1920, the castle was used in the meantime both as a shelter for children and as a hostel for travelers. After the Second World War, the property remained empty for a long time and was abandoned to ruin, since the peasants, who at that time owned the castle, were more interested in affiliated agriculture than in the royal castle. For the year 1955 Konrad Ceh is occupied as owner. In 1972 the Strahl family purchased the property and began extensive restoration. Today the castle houses a restaurant and serves as a venue for cultural events, especially in summer, as well as for private ceremonies and celebrations.