Juliusburg Castle

The origins of Juliusburg Castle date back to 1588, when Count Julius II zu Hardegg commissioned its construction. He had acquired the dominion of Stetteldorf from the Starhemberg family in 1582 and entrusted Andreas Piazoll with building his residence, which he named after himself. Following the death of Julius II in 1593, Count Georg Friedrich Hardegg had the castle surrounded by a moat and three rondels in 1596. He also established a castle garden, for which he hired a gardener from Vincenza, and in 1602, the court garden below the Wagram. Despite these fortifications, the castle was plundered in 1645 during the Swedish invasion under Lennart Torstensson. An event was the council of war held in 1683, where King Jan Sobieski of Poland, Duke Charles of Lorraine, and German princes planned the liberation of Vienna from the Turks.