Gutenbrunn Castle

The name of the place seems to have appeared for the first time in 1556 as “Guettenprun”. It refers to a spring that was particularly popular with pilgrims. The castle, however, is of a much younger date. It was built between 1771 and 1785 by Josef von Fürnberg. Since Gutenbrunn resembles Luberegg Castle, also built by Fürnberg, this suggests that the same architect worked on both properties. Fürnberg was probably the largest timber merchant in the monarchy and used, among other things, the huge forests of the neighboring Weinsberger Forst. Gutenbrunn originally belonged to his dominion of Pöggstall and was only separated from it in 1782. When Emperor Franz I acquired the estate with income from his private assets in 1791, he attached it to his dominion of Persenbeug. It is reported that the emperor visited the iron-rich spring, which had always been attributed healing powers, several times for a cure. Gutenbrunn, along with Persenbeug, was part of the Habsburg family property. Therefore, after the collapse of the monarchy, it was not nationalized and today again belongs to the branch of this family living at Persenbeug Castle, after it had been administered by the Austrian Federal Forests after the Second World War. In 1969/70, a comprehensive general renovation of the castle, which had been severely neglected in the post-war period, took place. A forest administration is housed in it. The remaining rooms are largely rented out.

The small early classicist castle cannot, of course, compete in its dimensions with French country castles, such as Maison-Laffitte, but it is unmistakable that these served as a model for the unknown architect. The two-story main building and the two single-story side wings enclose a small courtyard of honor, which is closed off from the street by a low grille. The roofscape with its steep hip roofs is striking. Above all, the mighty broken mansard hip roof of the central wing gives the castle a French character. It is loosened up by three dormer windows. The five-axis facade is accentuated by a high, but flat, basket-arch window niche in the central axis. A balcony with a vaulted baroque wrought-iron grille is located in front of it. Below it is a simple rectangular portal. While the windows of the ground floor are kept emphatically simple, those of the main floor have window frames in the panel style. In front of the portal stand two tall obelisk-like stone pyramids bearing iron lanterns. The former main entrance was at the back of the building. It was accessible via two ramps. In the residential building, a double-arm staircase leads to the upper floor. The interior rooms are equipped with beautiful parquet floors, but no longer have any old furnishings. North of the castle are the former staff residences and farm buildings.