Thalberg Castle

The castle was probably built between 1171 and 1180 as part of the border fortifications against Hungary, on the territory of the Counts of Formbach-Pitten, possibly by the Lords of Krumbach.

Towards the end of the 12th century, the almost impregnable Thalberg belonged to the Lords of Neuberg and partly to the related Lords of Krumbach. Thalberg is first mentioned in a document in 1209 with Erhard and Heinrich von Krumbach as castle lords. At this time, the castle was a princely fief. The Neubergers appointed burgraves as administrators. In 1214, the Limbachs held this office. The next burgraves were the Burgfelders, who, however, already called themselves after Thalberg.

In 1250, Gerhard von Hertenfels also named himself after the castle. In 1276, it was in the sole possession of the Neubergers. In 1364, their burgraves from the Talberger family are likely to have died out. In 1414, a Hans der Kulmer is mentioned as administrator. He was followed in 1440 by Wilhelm Kornpeckh. In 1453, Hans von Neuberg sold the lordship to Christof von Rottal. He had significant alterations and extensions carried out. In 1496, Georg von Rottal bought his share from Christof's widow. In 1523, Barbara von Rottal married Siegmund von Dietrichstein. The Thalberg lordship represented the dowry. In 1529, they appointed Christof Ramschüssel as caretaker or tenant.

Both in 1529 and 1532, Turkish raiding parties devastated the complex. Siegmund's son Adam sold Thalberg to Jakob von Dürr in 1557. In 1561, Adam von Lindeck acquired the stately property, but it passed to Andre Eberhard Rauber only four years later through purchase. The now heavily indebted lordship was seized in 1598 and acquired by Lorenz Schütter von Klingenberg. His widow Barbara sold it in 1603 to Wolf Unverzagt. Hans Christof Unverzagt sold Thalberg in 1610 to the Graz Jesuits.

When the Jesuit order was abolished in 1773, Thalberg fell to the state and was leased to Edmund Nepomuk von Erko. However, the castle was already dilapidated and only partially habitable. In 1797, Thalberg was publicly auctioned. Konstanzia Edle von Erko was awarded the bid. The new owners expanded the manor house at the foot of the castle hill into a castle-like residence. As only this was subsequently inhabited, the high castle began to decay. In 1815, Franz Sales von Erko sold the lordship to Johann Pauer. He and the subsequent, rapidly changing owners invested nothing more in the preservation of the castle, which was even temporarily used as a quarry.

Only at the beginning of the 20th century was the complex restored by Anna Potzinger, the then owner. In 1917, Mrs. Helene Natel bought the castle at auction, but sold it only a year later to the Hauke-Gißlinger family, who still own it today. After 1957, the buildings were professionally restored under the direction of the Federal Monuments Office.