Spielfeld Castle

Spielfeld belonged to the Sponheimers in the High Middle Ages. Around 1100, they donated it to St. Paul's Abbey in Lavanttal. In 1215, a document mentions a Heinrich von Spielfeld as a vassal of the abbey. At that time, only a tower stood not far from the present castle. It had to secure the important road to Marburg and a ferry crossing over the Mur, which had existed since the 11th century.

From the middle of the 13th century, Spielfeld was leased by the monastery to the Lords of Pettau. After the extinction of the Pettau family, Spielfeld came to the Counts of Schaumburg in 1438. Their administrators named themselves after the castle. Next to the tower was the Ulenburg estate, which was owned by the Lords of Pettau. In 1437, it came to Erasmus von Hollenegg via Count Hermann von Cilli.

In 1526, Friedrich von Hollenegg was enfeoffed with Spielfeld by the sovereign. Another Friedrich von Hollenegg, the last of his family, sold the castle to Hans Stübich in 1580. He continued the construction work that his predecessor had already begun. His son Georg Gabriel completed the new Renaissance castle by 1620. However, it was largely destroyed by a fire as early as 1631. The reconstruction strained the finances so much that Stübich's stepdaughter Siguna Elisabeth von Khevenhüller had to sell various properties. After her death, her son-in-law Hörwart Kazianer took over the lordship.

In 1683, he was entrusted with the supervision of the Mur in its area, and the castle was well supplied with ammunition. It also served as a beacon station. By inheritance, Spielfeld came to Aloisia Countess Heister in 1713. In 1725, the Kazianers were again the lords of the castle. In 1820, the again heavily indebted lordship had to be auctioned off. The now frequently changing owners included Karl Hektor Count Lucchesi-Palli (1840) and Anton Count Atems (1846). Karl Freiherr von Bruck acquired the castle as a summer residence in 1872. Through the marriage of his daughter Margarethe, Spielfeld Castle passed to the Russian diplomat Victor von Baggovout in 1889.

At the end of the Second World War, the building suffered severe damage from destruction, looting, partisans, and the English occupation. Spielfeld Castle today largely belongs to the great-granddaughter of Freiherr von Bruck, Natalie Baggovout. In addition, there are three other owners. The association "Initiative Schloss Spielfeld" has been working since 1987 to preserve and revitalize the castle.