Hautzenbichl Castle

The first documented mention of Hautzenbichl occurred in 1086, when Margrave Adalbero of Styria transferred his property to Archbishop Gebhard of Salzburg to free himself from an ecclesiastical ban. The Archbishop gifted the estate to Admont Abbey. Around 1150, the noble Meginhalm von Hucenpuhelen appeared as owner, during whose time Hautzenbichl was still a fortified farm. From 1160, it belonged to Seckau Abbey, which often granted the property as a fief. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Lobminger family expanded the fortified farm into a larger defensive structure, which, however, later fell into disrepair. Between 1540 and 1542, Joachim Muerer acquired the estate and had it rebuilt in the Renaissance style in 1542, with a French architect presumed to be involved.