Admontbichl Castle

Admontbichl Castle is located in the market town of Obdach in Styria. Its history dates back to the 14th century. Its current appearance dates from the 17th century. Since 2012, it has belonged to the Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz.

Admontbichl Castle stands in the Rötsch district of the cadastral community of Granitzen in Obdach on a wooded hill. Its address is Rötsch 16.

In 1367, Admont Abbey acquired the Mereinhof zu Pichl, today's Admontbichl Castle. It served as an administrative seat for the surrounding properties of the abbey. And it was fortified to serve as a refuge for the population in times of danger. The manor's estate included extensive forest areas where charcoal was produced. This was supplied to smelters in Carinthia. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Kainacher, the Gallenberger, the Zach family, and the Goltschän family primarily acted as administrators or tenants.

Under Daniel Ritter von Gallenberg, the estate was expanded to its current size from 1530 on behalf of Admont Abbey. The current chapel and a projecting bastion were built at that time. To finance the expansion, Gallenberg overcharged his subjects and arbitrarily increased grain levies, earning him the reputation of a "peasant flayer". Hans de la Porta, Bernard de Novo, and Master Thomas Püchler are recorded as master builders and stonemasons who participated in the construction. The wall paintings in the summer house are by Veit von Seckau. In 1599, a local fire occurred in Obdach. Therefore, at the beginning of the 17th century, the regional court was moved to Admontbichl. Around 1662, the castle was "modernized". In 1748, a fire caused severe devastation, destroying, among other things, the two round corner towers in the north wing.

Until 2012, the castle belonged to Admont Abbey, which had housed a forest administration there. Since then, it has been owned by Dietrich Mateschitz.