Hintersdorf Castle

Hintersdorf is first mentioned in a Passau document from 1304. The name possibly derives from the Passau bishop Hiltram, as the place was also called Hiltramsdorf and Hiltersdorf at that time. It originally belonged to the dominion of Judenau and, like it, was in the possession of Helmhard Jörger von Tollet in the second half of the 16th century. The later ownership history of the estate is largely identical to that of Hadersfeld Castle. Like the latter, it belonged to the families Rueber, Freysleben, and Bartolotti, among others. In 1647, a decades-long dispute over tithes began between the then lord of the manor, the Viennese merchant Paul Bartolotti, and the pastor of St. Andrä. Then, around 1672, the Barons of Kielmannsegg followed as lords of the castle. Among the again frequently changing owners of the later 17th and 18th centuries were the Mayersheim family (1682), Johann Donat Graf Häusler (1694), Maria Constantia Freiin von Appel (1706), Maria Helena von Albrechtsberg (1707), and Johann B. Schenwetter (1712). From 1755 to 1783, Hintersdorf belonged to the Jesuit order. When it was dissolved, the pastor of St. Andrä, Father Jacob Geyer, acquired the residence for his three nephews. He enlarged the small castle, added a floor, and renovated the adjoining chapel. In 1789, Joseph Edler von Habermann bought the property, which, however, was passed on to the von Feistmantel family as early as 1805. Finally, in 1829, Prince Johann I von und zu Liechtenstein acquired the estate. As with his other properties, he also placed great importance on the design of the park here. From 1883, the castle was used as a schoolhouse. The princely rooms on the first floor were converted into a teacher's apartment and a classroom. In 1919, the Princes of Liechtenstein separated from the object, which was not very attractive to them, first going to a joint-stock company, but has been in private ownership since the second half of the 20th century.

The inconspicuous building is located in the middle of the small village on the main ridge of the Vienna Woods. It is a simple two-story building under a high, broken mansard roof. This was shingle-covered until the last restoration. The core of the current building dates from the 17th century, but windows and doors have been renewed. The rooms are consistently equipped with flat ceilings. The two corner towers of the once fortified courtyard wall, which were still present in 1835, have long since disappeared. The archway marked with 1686, like parts of the courtyard wing, was also demolished. It was rebuilt in Wolfpassing Castle in the Tullnerfeld. The hook-shaped main building has only four window axes on the street side. The simple entrance door is arranged asymmetrically. The side wing, although longer than the street front, has only three window axes. All in all, the building no longer makes a castle-like impression today. The St. John's Chapel, built in 1686, is directly attached to the castle. It features a square roof turret bearing a pointed polygonal spire. The interior is barrel-vaulted.