Burg Thalberg

P3

Castle Thalberg

The Thalberg Castle is an excellent example of the high medieval Burgenbaues in Styria and probably the best preserved Romanesque fortification of the country. It is located above the Lafnitz in the municipality of shock when Thalberg, Hartberg - Fürstenfeld.

The complex of the upper castle is 90 meters long and 23 meters wide. From her most of the Romanesque building stock is received. On the narrow sides of the castle are two powerful square towers. The 24-meter high watchtower in the east secures the built of ashlar and rubble stone gatehouse. He is joined by the twelve -meter high perimeter wall at the lower west tower. At the keep close to the 50 -meter-long outer courtyard. Its north side is bounded by a three-storey residential building, which dates from the Romanesque period, but was expanded in the late Gothic period. It is obtained externally, but the internal ceilings are mostly collapsed, so that it practically is a covered ruin.

In the West, the three-storey Palas also encloses the inner courtyard. Its north wing was rebuilt in late Gothic period, designed the south-facing wing in the 17th century new. On the first floor of the cross tract that separates the inner from the outer court, is the zweijochige late Gothic St. Nicholas Chapel, but was renewed novelty around 1910. Your choir final projects before an oriole in the outer courtyard. At the chapel followed by a small hall with central column and baroque stucco ribbed vault. The living rooms of the first floor of the Palas were also restored in the early years of the 20th century, after they had given up a long time without a roof to decay. The old coffered ceilings were lost and the Hofgalerien were replaced by unadorned exterior corridors. Some Romanesque details received on the walls of the buildings, such as the four and a half meter high round-arched entry into the dungeon with two set small columns, of which only the Knospenkapitäle and the bases have escaped the ravages of time. In addition, the remains of a frieze ornament on the eastern gate system and two walled double -arched windows are still visible. In the 15th century the whole castle was surrounded by a low wall, resulting in a small kennel revealed. The former ramparts are no longer available. At the foot of the mountain is the built in 1499 bailey. It has its own gatehouse with former Zugbrückenportal and is connected by a wall with the main castle. An originating from the 17th century three storey granary occupies the southwest corner of the spacious courtyard.

The castle was probably built as a prince's fief in the years 1171 to 1180 in the train of border fortification measures against Hungary by Leopold von Erlach. Is first mentioned Thalberg in 1209 with Leopold's sons, Erhard and Henry of Krumbach. In 1346 it falls to Tursen to Ulrich. In the 15th century, the Neuberg and the Lords of red valley are the owner of the castle. The latter could be substantial changes and extensions to perform. From 1523 to 1557 Thalberg was the Dietrich Steinem. They extended the rule at the expense of Vorauer and Pöllauer pin possessions. Belonging to the castle district court handed down to the Austrian border in the exchange. At that time, Thalberg was the center of Protestantism in northern Styria. Around 1530 devastated Turkish crowds lining the plant. About Jakob by Dürr and Adam of Lindeck they arrived in 1565 at the Rauber family. For economic reasons, the rule was seized and sold in 1603 to Wolf Unverzagt. The Raubers still tried to take Thalberg by force, but was repulsed their attack bloody. In 1610, the Graz Jesuits acquired the possession. During the Turkish War of 1683 and the Kuruzeneinfälle of 1704 and 1708 the castle was also the population of the neighboring Friedberg as a refuge. When the Jesuit order was dissolved in 1773, Thalberg fell to the state and was leased. 1797, the rule was publicly auctioned. The new owners, the nobles of Erko, built farmstead at the foot of the castle hill of castle -like. Since in the sequence only this was inhabited, the high castle began to decay. This development continued in the 19th century, reinforced continuously since the owners changed rapidly and showed no interest in the old building. Occasionally, the castle was used even as a quarry. During this time the castle lost substantial portions of their Romanesque stone carvings. Only at the beginning of the 20th century it came by Anna Potzinger, the former owner, to a restoration of the plant, which then served as Schlosspension or rest home. 1917 auctioned Helene Natel the castle, but sold it a year later to the family Hauke- Gisslinger, today the castle is owned by Heinz Gisslinger.

Currently, parts of the castle by the owner himself or by the volunteer fire department Dechantskirchen renovated.