To be privately owned
CastleLasberg
Dornach Castle
Dornach Castle is a castle ruin, about 1.5 kilometers west of Lasberg in the district of Siegelsdorf. It is located in the municipality of Lasberg in the Freistadt district in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. Part of the former castle has been renovated since 1963 and has been inhabited ever since.
The ruin of the former hillside castle lies in the Feistritz valley, not far from its confluence with the Feldaist, on the edge of a rocky precipice.
The first documented mention was in 1416 as the property of Hans Lasberger, but the castle itself is likely older. Around 1400, Hans and his brother Wenzel Lasberger rebuilt the castle. During the Hussite Wars around 1427, the castle was severely damaged. In 1436, Hans der Lasperger sold the castle to Simon Volkra (also: Volkrat), a steward in Freistadt. The Volkra family owned the castle as a princely fief until 1505. During this time, they built the current round tower (keep) with a high-level entrance and battlements on the outer walls. In 1505, the castle was sold for 2350 guilders to the Lords of Zelking, who already owned the nearby Weinberg Castle. The Zelkingers then had the current outwork built, which at that time had three shell towers (rondel), similar to Weinberg.
Under the rule of the Zelkingers, the castle lost its importance as it was no longer an independent noble seat. Like Weinberg, Dornach also passed to the Thürheim family in 1629. Over time, the castle visibly decayed, and by around 1650, the formerly impressive castle was referred to as a ruin after a fire. The fire broke out because the lords were in dispute and enmity with the lordship of Prandegg. When the Dornachers were invited to Prandegg in 1650, Dornach was attacked and set on fire. After the fire, the stones were often carried away by the population as building material for house construction, until Count Josef Thürheim von Weinberg forbade the demolition of the walls in 1821.
In 1963, the Freistadt businessman Franz Burgermeister bought the ruin from Baron von Thürheim-Zimmermann and saved it from complete decay. Burgermeister renovated the ruin with great skill and support from the state of Upper Austria. He subsequently used it as a residence; after his death, his daughter inherited the property and uses it as a weekend retreat.
Construction+
The main castle had an area of 566 square meters. The small, now preserved part of the castle was the most important noble seat in the Feistritz valley. The keep, with its 20 meters in height, stands out and offers a wide overview of the surroundings. The ring wall with a square gate tower was probably built around 1400. In the 15th century, the complex was expanded before it fell into disrepair.
Secret Passage
According to tradition, there was an underground secret passage between Dornach Castle and Weinberg Castle. In the legend of Dornach, the lady of the castle flees from her enemies through the tunnel.
Meierhof+
Closely associated with the castle was the Meierhof (Siegelsdorf No. 12), also known as Dornachhof or Hartmayrhof. Like the castle, it belonged to the same lineage: to the Lasbergers until 1430, to the Volkras between 1430 and 1505, and from 1505 to 1623 to the Zelkingers. Afterwards, it came to the List family (until 1737) and then to the Hartmayr family (until 1846). Since then, it has been owned by the Blöchl family. Johann Blöchl, the father of the Mühlviertel, was born here in 1895.
Culture+
Knight games are regularly held in the restored castle during the Lasberg Cultural Days. The games commemorate battles that probably took place near the confluence of the Feistritz and Feldaist rivers between Dornach and Weinberg, as suggested by finds of early weapons and armor parts.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.at
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.4658, 14.5250