Liebenau Castle

Liebenau Castle, also known as Vatersdorf until the mid-17th century, and as a cadet school from 1854, was a Graz castle located in Kadettengasse in the Liebenau district. From the 1920s, the building from 1854 was used as a school building for a BEA, then as one for the Bundesgymnasium and Bundesrealgymnasium Graz Liebenau, with significant additions.

The history of the area dates back to the 12th century. The form as of 2012 largely originates from 1854 and is a protected monument.

Liebenau Castle is one of the oldest noble residences in Graz and was probably built to secure navigation on the Mur river. It was erected as a noble court along with the village of the same name by a ministerialis of Hadmar von Ennstal or Hadmar von Dunkelstein. Around 1164, the court and village were owned by a Heinrich von Vatersdorf. After Heinrich's death, the estate passed to the provincial princes. Pertholdus, judge of Vatersdorf, mentioned in 1224, was likely an official of the provincial princes whose seat was on the estate. In 1387, Friedrich I von Graben received the village as a fief. He or one of his servants probably used the court as a residence.

In 1411, the court was granted by Duke Ernst to Friedrich Egkhler. In 1440, the court and village of Vatersdorf passed to Thomas Gybinger. However, since a court was already granted to Georg Ekerler in 1443, it is probable that there were two feudal courts on the estate at that time. It can be assumed that the court received by Thomas Gybinger was the older and thus the actual noble court. In 1468, Thomas Gybinger bought the court from Ekerler and united it with his own. Due to the Baumkircher Feud, as well as the Turkish and Hungarian Wars, he could only take possession of the fief on March 21, 1500. After the death of Gybinger's granddaughter Elisabeth in 1559, inheritance disputes arose among her three children. In 1561, it was determined that the children's uncle, Sebastian Drikhopf, should receive the fief. However, since he died in the same year, the estate passed to Elisabeth's son, Christof Drikhopf, who had by then come of age. Due to the many lawsuits and disputes, the court was heavily indebted, and Christof had to mortgage it to David von Lenheim in 1569. Christof received the fief of the court in 1572 but died the following year. Christof's heirs sold the court to Hans Friedrich Hofmann.

In 1591, the estate came into the possession of Stephan Speidl. In 1601, Speidl's widow sold the court to the princely chamberlain Peter Cascal. Cascal bought several plots of land until his death in 1610 to enlarge the estate. His widow Maria Salome sold the property to Vorau Abbey in 1620. The abbey used Vatersdorf as a retreat for sick abbey members, built a keep, among other things, and gave it the name Liebenau. In 1649, the abbey sold the castle to Johann Maximilian Count von Herberstein. After his death in 1681, the estate passed to his daughter Maria Catharina Countess Purgstall. After Maria Catharina's death in 1681, inheritance disputes again arose between her daughter Maria Louise Countess Colloredo and her father Johann Ernst Count Purgstall, who appointed his second wife Anna Margaretha as heir. In 1695, the estate was awarded to Maria Louise. Her son Camillo Liebenau gradually sold plots of land from the estate before selling the estate itself to Andree Count Gaisruck in 1756. The property included fishing rights on the Mur, at least in the 18th century.

In 1790, Liebenau was acquired by Alois Count Trauttmansdorff. His son Vinzenz had to forcibly sell the dominion in 1829 due to high debts to Alexander von Kottowitz. On October 22, 1852, the military treasury acquired the castle. From 1853, the castle was rebuilt, and on September 6, 1854, an artillery school company was opened. From 1875, a division school and then a cadet school were housed here. In 1919, the cadet school was converted into a federal educational institution for boys. Since the 1970s, the BG/BORG Graz Liebenau has been located there.