Schmelzhofen Castle

The name of the castle goes back to a former copper smelter that once stood here. The current castle was built in the 16th century. However, there may have been a predecessor building as early as the 14th century. The first known lord of the castle was the industrialist Andreas Weiß, who was a caretaker in Twimberg around 1588. The Weiß family was very wealthy. They also owned the castles of Weissenau and Lichtengraben in the Lavanttal. Around 1644, the entire property was divided. Schmelzhofen remained with Siegmund Balthasar Weiß. Through his daughter, it then passed to Balthasar von Khulmer, who had built Hohenstein Castle in the Glantal. In 1654, he applied for the family to be elevated to the rank of baron, which was eventually approved. The family was allowed to use the predicate "von Rosenbichl und Schmelzhofen". The next family of owners were the Eggarten. They came from the Kanaltal, where their ancestors were forest masters in Bamberg's service. Johann Leopold Eggarten was the caretaker of the Porcia estate in Spittal. As administrator of the main tax collection office, he was ennobled by Emperor Charles VI. Schmelzhofen Castle was then owned by Count Aichold. When he had to declare bankruptcy, his main creditor Johann Leopold von Eggarten took over the estate. In 1790, Marianne Freiin von Rechbach and Franziska Freiin von Hingenau bought the property. In 1806, Josef Geinsberger, who came from an old Tyrolean family, acquired the castle. It remained with his descendants until the fourth quarter of the 20th century. In 1992, it was acquired and exemplarily restored by Pepo Pichler, a versatile artist.

Rear view The castle is hidden behind a large mill in the center of St. Margarethen bei Wolfsberg. It is a three-story building under a high hip roof, which largely dates from the 16th century, but had been altered several times over the centuries. For example, the tower on the northwest corner of the building, which can still be seen in Valvasor's engraving, was removed as early as the 18th century. The stones served as welcome building material for the construction of the nearby "Stoff" inn. In the 19th century, the facade of the show side was renewed. The mighty former granary was also demolished and replaced by a new building in a slightly different location in 1887. It served as a mill for a long time and today houses Pepo Pichler's studio and collections. Inside the main castle, some paintings of the former castle owners have been preserved. Towards the end of the 19th century, the coats of arms of the Geinsperger and Khulmer families were affixed in the stairwell. In a room on the upper floor there is a wooden coffered ceiling from around 1585. Behind the castle, in the park, stands an American giant sequoia that is more than 200 years old.