Hochwolkersdorf Castle

In the Middle Ages, the small, elevated village of Hochwolkersdorf was highly valued. An old Roman road, the "Hochstraße," passed through here. The small fortified house, which stood on the site of the later castle, primarily served as a warning station against attacks from the east. The smoke and fire signals sent from here could be seen far and wide. In 1203, the landlord Heinrich von Lanzenkirchen arranged with Archbishop Eberhard II of Salzburg for Hochwolkersdorf to be elevated to its own parish. The village and the fortified house belonged to the dominion of Lanzenkirchen. After the Lords of Lanzenkirchen died out in the 14th century, the Counts of Pfannberg followed as landlords. Then came the Weispriachers. It was probably Hans Freiherr von Weispriach who converted the modest building into a still very simple castle in 1453. The Counts of Wurmbrand acquired the property in 1610 and kept it for 180 years. A rapid change of ownership followed. In 1805, the Guldensteins took over Hochwolkersdorf and undertook a major renovation of the castle, giving it its present appearance. They were succeeded in 1868 by the Bourgeois family, who eventually passed the building on to the Upper Austrian Abbey of Reichersberg. Since 1904, a youth home of the Lower Austrian provincial government has been housed here. The building was last renovated in 1972.