Description of the attraction
Schönbühel Castle stands on the edge of a high and uneven cliff in the Wachau Valley at an altitude of 210 meters on the right bank of the Danube near Melk. Known as the "guardian of the Wachau", the castle has stood on this site for over 1000 years.
The oldest records in historical documents that mention Schönbühel date back to 1135. Originally, the castle was built as the property of the bishop of Passau. The site was chosen for the building, where a Roman fortress was once located. The earliest part of the palace dates back to the 12th century, but in the following centuries it was rebuilt several times.
The Schönbühel family owned the castle for almost two hundred years until the death of its last member, Ulrich von Schonpihel, in the early 14th century. For a short period, the castle was in the hands of Konrad von Eisenbetel, and then in the ownership of the Melk monastery. However, the abbot was soon forced to sell the castle, and in 1396 the fortress was taken under the control of brothers Kasper and Gundaker von Starhemberg. For more than four centuries, von Starhemberg's descendants enlarged and improved the castle. Among them was Bartholomew von Starhemberg, who was one of the earliest members of the Austrian aristocracy who advocated for Lutheranism in 1482. This led to the creation of a strong Protestant tradition in the castle, which continued until 1639, when Konrad von Balthasar Starhemberg converted back to Catholicism and, as a sign of his commitment, built a monastery near the castle.
The most famous of the Starhemberg family who owned the castle is Ernst Rüdiger, who played a decisive role in protecting the Austrian capital, Vienna, from Turkish invasion in the late 17th century. His great-grandson Ludwig Josef Gregor sold the castle in 1819 to Count Franz von Beroldinger. It is said that the last few generations of the Starhembergs did not live in the castle. Therefore, when Count Beroldinger bought it, everything inside was abandoned. However, he rebuilt the castle and turned it into a residential one.
In 1930, his grand-nephew sold the castle to Count von Oswald, who lost the castle during the war and Soviet occupation. However, in 1955, Schönbühel Castle was returned to the family and remains in their possession ever since.
