Frauenhofen Castle

Adelwart de Frowenhofen was likely a vassal of the Counts of Ebersberg. He is mentioned in documents around 1015 and was probably entrusted with the administration of the estate, which already existed at that time. The name "Frauenhofen" is not derived from the word "Frau" (woman), but indicates that a Fronhof (manor farm) was located here. This estate came into the possession of the Diocese of Passau around 1145 through an exchange. However, the bishop probably soon passed it on to the Counts of Peilstein. From them, it was taken over by the Babenbergs. In 1300, two documents were issued at the Fronhof. The Carthusian monastery of Mauerbach succeeded in taking over the estate in 1344/46 and developing it into a small lordship. The prerequisite for this was the enfeoffment by the sovereign. The former dairy farm was expanded into a castle-like structure in the 18th century to serve as an administrative center. In 1791, the Carthusian monastery also fell victim to the monastic dissolutions of Joseph II. Frauenhofen was taken over by the state but sold in 1810 to Joseph Edler von Voglhuber. The small manor passed to the Dussy von Laßkova family in 1863, who, however, sold it to Aristide Movastinis as early as 1869. Among the estate owners of the later 19th century were Arthur Noe Edler von Nordberg in 1872 and the industrialist Fritz Edler von Hofmannsthal in 1875. His nephew Hugo, who later became world-famous as the author of "Jedermann," spent part of his youth here. In 1944, during an air raid, which was probably aimed at the nearby Langenlebarn air base or the Moosbierbaum hydrogenation plant, the small castle suffered severe damage. After the Starkl family, who operate the neighboring large nursery, acquired the manor in 1958, it was converted into an elegant residence from 1963 onwards, although some of the old building fabric was lost in the process.

The small village of Frauenhofen is now off the main thoroughfares. But even in the Baroque period, a busy road from Vienna to Tulln ran through here. The two-story main building is flanked by two open archways leading into the courtyard. This is bordered on its narrow sides by two freestanding single-story transverse wings. One of these outbuildings contributes to the visual vibrancy of the courtyard with three arcades. The show facade of the small castle has seven window axes. The center of the facade is emphasized by the stone-framed portal and the triangular ornamental gable in front of the hip roof. The gable field shows a stone coat of arms adorned with a nine-pointed crown. It is the coat of arms of the Counts of Sternberg (?). In contrast, the smooth keystone under the round-arched canopy of the portal gives no indication of a former owner. On the back of the building, another stone coat of arms cartouche is mounted above a double window. The stone-framed door to the courtyard is placed asymmetrically. The keystone of the portal shows the initials F. F. and the year 1851. The statue of St. Florian in the courtyard is a copy created around 1970 based on a Baroque model. Opposite the castle is the pilgrimage church, founded in 1647 by the Mauerbach monastery, which was also equipped with a hermitage at that time.