Bergheim Castle

The first mention of Bercheim dates back to 1111. Around 1160, Engelbert von Blankenberg donated a farm in Berchaim to St. Nikola Abbey near Passau. After the extinction of the Blankenberg family, the Witigonen took over their property around 1190. Wok von Rosenberg ceded parts of the property to the Prince-Bishopric of Passau around 1260. The noble seat of Perkchaim was first mentioned in 1415, when Thoman Geizerstätter sold it to Stephan Kammerer von Kammerhof. Through marriage, Bergheim came into the possession of Karl Fieger von Hirschberg in 1635, under whose family the estate was converted into a country castle. In 1787, the castle passed to Count Reichart Salburg through marriage. Further changes of ownership followed, including Count Christoph Lehrbach (1803) and Count Anton Gundacker von Starhemberg (1812). In 1867, Baron Viktor von Pereira-Arnstein acquired the castle and had it redesigned. In 1890, Baron James Hirsch-Gereuth bought the property. His widow, Zenaide von Hirsch-Gereuth, founded a foundation in 1909 for the establishment of an agricultural academy.