Johnsdorf Castle

Johnsdorf Castle is located in the municipality of Johnsdorf-Brunn in Styria.

Johnsdorf Castle was probably built in the early Middle Ages by the Aychenstauden family. Like numerous other castles and palaces in this area, it initially served mainly as a bulwark against the Kurucs and Turks.

After several changes of ownership, Hans Adam Narringer took over the castle in 1587. In 1605, during an unsuccessful Hungarian invasion, Narringer's wife and his son Seyfried were killed here. After the death of Hans Adam Narringer, his son Georg Christoph inherited the building, which, due to his extravagance and the associated debts, led to inheritance disputes between him, his mother Elisabeth (daughter of David von Lengheim from Bertholdstein Castle) and his sister Anna Margareta. Governor Friedrich Freiherr von Herberstein was involved in the disputes, and the castle was auctioned off in 1616.

The new owner, Katharina Elisabeth Freifrau von Galler, known as "Gallerin", had the heavily dilapidated castle rebuilt and, above all, extended. An inscription stone above the main portal still commemorates the powerful owner of the castle. The inscription reads:

"Jesus and Mary be with me, Katharina Elisabeth Frau Gallerin, born Wechslerin Freyin Lady of the Fortress and Lordship of Stein, Riegkherspurg, Liechtenegg and Wexel, Sperg Widow, this castle as it is to behold, I have had rebuilt from green turf, in God I place all my trust Anno Domini 1656."

During the renovations, the inner defensive wall was raised and guest rooms were built. Arcades and corridors were created in the courtyard. In the main building, the staircase was converted into a dining room, for which she had stucco workers and painters brought from Italy. However, there are also assumptions that the entire castle was razed and completely rebuilt. An underground passage is also said to lead to Riegersburg. However, this has not yet been found.

In 1886 it was acquired by Viktor Baron von Herring and in 1910 by the Hungarian magnate Josef Baron Döry von Jobaháza. In 1904 he had married the famous actress Price Hollingworth, widowed Anni Princess von Ardeck (born August 25, 1868 in Wilmington USA, daughter of a wealthy oil magnate) in Baden-Baden. The couple furnished the castle with numerous art treasures. Since the castle was already electrically lit in 1910, it is not surprising that the news of the second richest castle in Styria quickly spread. In the Second World War it was almost completely destroyed.

Through the Baron's religious daughter, the Salesians of Don Bosco inherited the property. They turned the castle into an educational center, which attracted people from all over the world for retreats. For several decades, it served as a cultural and religious event center. But as so often in the eventful history of the castle, money played a not insignificant role, and it was sold in 1999.