Schloss Herberstein

The wildlife Herbersteins is a zoo in the Styrian Gemeindestube mountain river, near St. Johann in Herbersteins with a size of about 40 acres.

Zoo

The keeping of wild animals in Herbersteins has a long tradition and can be traced back to the 17th century, as in Austria deer were held for the first time. Towards the end of 1960 Herber stone was converted into a zoo where the visitors impressions of animals from all five continents should be taught. At this time, the first time the castle was opened to the public itself. Today, the zoo is beautifully designed and has the largest cheetah enclosure Europe. Here a so-called prey simulator was also first time in 1978 installed worldwide ( roughly comparable with a ski lift ) to feed the cheetahs.

Herberstein

Herberstein Castle lies on a boulder in the Feistritzklamm and thus raised high on three sides and is not accessible. At the same time the castle is hardly visible from outside the gorge and was also characterized under natural protection.

The oldest parts of the nearby animal park castle date from the 12th century. Said by Herwig of Herwig Krottendorf stone small castle was under the fiefdom of the Stubenberger. Otto von Hartenberg was the fief of a fee in Free self ( allods ) convert and has since been regarded as the ancestor of the Herbersteins.

By 1400 the castle was enlarged by a powerful outer bailey, which included the earlier built Gothic Chapel of St. Catherine. The bailey has undergone numerous expansions in the 15th century. Middle of the 16th century, the castle was transformed into a residential building with Renaissance elements and expanded to offer the numerous descendants space. In the 17th century, the magnificent Knight's Hall was built, the deep moat was built on. Middle of the 17th century was the Italian model of Florentinerhof and until the end of the century St. George's Chapel, gardener's house and Maierhof were completed.

In the 17th and 18th centuries around one fifth of Styria belonged to the basic rule of the Counts Herbersteins, 1000 farms were the castle tributary. The castle is still owned by the Steiner Herber and serves as the home and headquarters. Part of the complex can be visited in guided tours. Castle Cafe and the magnificent historic gardens represent more attractions

Public Administration

After the conviction of Andrea Herber Stone (born Untersteiner ) for serious commercial fraud in connection with the misuse of state subsidies to the zoo Herbersteins this is since 2006 under the administration of the Styrian Tiergarten GmbH.