Klement (Old) Castle

The first lord of the castle known to us is Conrad de Clement, who lived in the second half of the 12th century. The Lords of Klement died out in the first half of the 15th century, so the fief could be confiscated by the sovereign.

In 1451, a knight Konrad Gußer von Klement is mentioned. Since 1569, family members of the Arberger have called themselves after Klement. Among the changing rulers in the later 16th century were Franz Freiherr von Gera (1572) and Wolf Christoph von Enzersdorf (1590). In the second half of the 16th century, the Meierhof (manor farm) at the foot of the local mountain was expanded into a castle. The original castle was abandoned and fell into disrepair. Around 1600, Johann Heinrich Freiherr von Kienritz was the lord of the castle. In 1607, Klement belonged to Freiherr Jakob Franz von Herberstein. Through Johanna von Hohenfeld and Job Hartmann Freiherr von Welz, the dominion came by purchase to Rudolf Graf Sinzendorf, who united it with his dominion Ernstbrunn.

Klement remained in the possession of the Sinzendorfers until 1822 and then passed with Ernstbrunn to Prince Heinrich IV von Reuß-Köstritz. It still belongs to the Reuß family today. Today, the remains of the "Ödes Schloss" (Deserted Castle) can be recognized in the dense undergrowth. Primarily earthworks and moats have been preserved from it, as most of the rising masonry was removed around 1900 due to dilapidation.