Wahlmühle Manor

The Freisitz Wahlmühle is located in the municipality of Sierning in the Upper Austrian district of Steyr-Land (Steyrer Straße 41).

The Walhmull was first mentioned as a noble seat in 1456 in the feudal book of King Ladislaus Posthumus, when the brothers Moritz, Hanns and Andres, the Welczer, were enfeoffed with it. From Hanns Welzern, the property passed by purchase to Hanns von Hohenegg in 1485. In the 17th century, the Wallmühle was owned by the Spindler family. Johann Paul Spindler zu Hofegg sold this Wahlmühle estate and the Spiegelhaus to Heinrich von Höchau and his wife Sophia, née Rohrbach, in 1653. They sold the property in 1657 to Hanns Adam von Hoheneck zu Hagenberg zu Steinbach and his wife Susanna, née von Gera. In 1668, Leonhard Leichtmayr, administrator of Riedau, acquired the Wahlmühle and the Spiegelhaus. Further owners were the Schmidtauer von Oberwallsee. In 1699, King Leopold I elevated Jobst Christoph, Georg, Christoph and Tobias Ehrenreich to a country estate endowed with all freedoms. Jobst Christoph Schmidtauer established a brewery here, which led to disputes with the Losensteiners of Losenstein and Gschwendt. After the death of Jobst Christoph Schmidtauer († 1701), the property passed by inheritance to Hanns Jörg Füger. He was married to a sister of the widow of a Schmidtauer, Eva Maria Spindler von Hofegg. In 1741, the Wahlmühle, including the brewery, was acquired by Carl Franz von Auersperg, who in the meantime also held the lordships of Losenstein and Gschwendt, and incorporated into the lordship of Gschwendt.

The brewery and later also the castle building were subsequently leased to brewers and finally sold. In 1767 it went to Johann Paul Krößwang and in 1792 to Johann Nepomuk Wagner. In 1902, Franz Jäger von Waldau acquired the property; the family still owns the estate today.