To be privately owned
CastleThal
Oberthal Castle
Oberthal Castle is located in the municipality of Thal in Styria. Its history dates back to the first half of the 13th century. Today it is privately owned. The castle stands on the eastern slope of the Kogelwald forest at Schlossallee 2.
Originally, from the mid-12th century, the site of the castle was occupied by a noble seat of the Lords of Waldsdorf. The first documented mention of the castle is in 1322. At that time, it was owned by the Princes Windisch-Graetz. Between 1605 and 1622, the estate belonged to Bernhard Walther von Walthersweil, and between 1622 and 1624, to the Schranz zu Schranzenegg family. From 1624 to 1798, it was the property of the Counts Trauttmansdorff.
Around 1563, the original tower castle was extended with a Renaissance-style castle building. The castle chapel was built in 1656 according to an inscription. In the mid-17th century, Count Siegmund Friedrich von Trauttmansdorff had a French garden laid out on the mountain side of the estate. Between 1846 and 1905, the castle belonged to the Barons von Walterskirchen. In 1846, the castle was redesigned in the romantic style of a Scottish castle. Since 1940, it has been owned by the Essberger-Rantzau family.
Description+
The castle is a four-wing complex with protruding, crenellated corner towers from the 19th century. In the northern part of the building are two octagonal corner towers, redesigned in the English style in the 19th century. The inner courtyard is accessible via a passage with an inscription from 1661 on the western tower. The courtyard has three-story column arcades on three sides. In the courtyard is a portal from 1563 with an inscription carved into a red marble slab. From around 1563, there is an underground passage leading towards Graz, of which only a few hundred meters are still accessible.
The baroque chapel, adorned with stucco decoration and dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was built in 1656 and features an altarpiece depicting the Baptism of Jesus Christ from the same period. Adjoining the chapel are two rooms with stucco ceilings from the mid-17th century. Additionally, these rooms contain canvas paintings embedded in the wall.
Above the castle is a walled French garden with grottoes and a pleasure house from the mid-17th century.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: Liuthalas / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 47.0799, 15.3434