Thernberg Castle

Thernberg Castle in Scheiblingkirchen-Thernberg is one of the oldest castles in Lower Austria; Thernberg Palace also belongs to the Thernberg dominion.

The ruin of the hilltop castle is located southeast of the village of Thernberg, slightly above the road to Lichtenegg. The area, which is encompassed by the old castle wall and the castle and palace, is heavily overgrown and not accessible, as the building ruins are in danger of collapsing.

In 1108, an Emerich de Terrenberch is mentioned in a court document. A Rapoto von Thernberg is also found in a document from Reichersberg Abbey in 1150. In 1227, the castle itself appears for the first time. Earlier assumptions that the small, constantly occupied castle might date back to the 11th century were refuted by research. The construction likely dates from the first quarter of the 13th century. The Thernbergers were related to the Lords of Pitten.

In 1310, the castle, originally a free property of Ulrich and Nikolaus von Thernberg, was sold to Duke Friedrich.

In 1408, Vienna's mayor Konrad Vorlauf was held captive here until he was allowed to return to Vienna after paying a ransom.

In 1412, Hertnid von Pottendorf received the castle as a fief. When the Pottendorfers died out, the castle once again became princely property and could be pledged again. Around 1510, Wolfgang I Thonradl received the castle. The robber captain Franz Magusch is also said to have used the castle as a hideout for a time. Under Thonradl, however, it was made more habitable and renovated. In 1587, it was also designated as a retreat for the surrounding population.

Without ever having been seriously attacked, the castle lost its military significance in the 17th century.

Despite the outlawing of the Thonradls as Protestants, they retained the castle. The marriage of Baron Georg Christoph von Thonradl to Sidonia Elisabeth remained childless. After his death, his widow sold the heavily indebted castle to Johann Paul von Pleyern in 1679.

Wilhelm Graf Wurmbrand was the owner for only a short period, from 1707 to 1712. From him, ownership passed to Franz Wilderich von Mensshengen. Under him, the castle was rebuilt, and a baroque palace was constructed nearby.

In 1791, Joseph Graf Pergen, who already owned the nearby Seebenstein Castle, also bought Thernberg Castle and Palace.

After several changes of ownership, Archduke Johann acquired the dominion of Thernberg in 1807. Johann retreated here when he fell out of favor with his brother Franz I due to his liberal views. Under the Archduke, the palace was renovated so that it could house his significant painting collection, which later formed the foundation of the Joanneum in Graz. In addition, his library was moved here, and a chemical laboratory was set up.

The large hall housed paintings by the artist Karl Ruß, depicting the history of the Habsburgs. A landscape garden with waterfalls and exotic plants was laid out around the palace. The keep of the castle was converted into an observation tower.

However, already in 1822, the Archduke retreated to Styria again. In 1828, he finally sold the dominion to Prince Johann I von und zu Liechtenstein. The property remained in the possession of the Liechtensteins until 1916 but was never inhabited by them. Therefore, the palace next to the castle, which was already a ruin anyway, became more and more neglected.

The palace was inhabited until 1938. The palace also served as an orphanage for a time. After the Second World War, the palace also visibly deteriorated.