Neu-Pfannberg Castle

Schloss Neu-Pfannberg, also known as Schloss Grafendorf, is a castle located in Frohnleiten in Styria. The history of the estate dates back to the 13th century, while the castle itself originates from the first half of the 19th century. Today, it is owned by the Mayr-Melnhof family.

The castle is located in the cadastral community of Mauritzen, which belongs to Frohnleiten, at Mayr-Melnhof Strasse 32. It is surrounded by a large English park.

At the southern end of the village of Mauritzen, a fortified building belonging to the Counts of Pfannberg, called "Grafenhof," already existed in the 13th century. Ulrich, the first known representative of this lineage, was mentioned in 1280. At the beginning of the 14th century, the Grafenhof became a farm. This seems to have fallen into disuse in the following years, as Veit Denkh zu Grafendorf began building a new farm in the 17th century. In 1645, the estate passed to Wolf Freiherr von Jöchlinger, who combined it with his lordship of Pfannberg. At that time, the farm was already a noble residence.

Franz Anton Edler von Saffran bought the lordship in 1736 and established the manorial administration in Grafendorf, which was now called Neu-Pfannberg. In 1737, the farm was expanded into a castle by master builder Joseph Stainberger, and in 1804, the current castle garden was built on the site of the village of Mauritzen. From 1870 to 1872, the Princes of Lobkowitz owned the castle. They were succeeded by the Mayr-Melnhof family. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the castle was redesigned several times. In the spring of 1945, it was burned down by soldiers and subsequently rebuilt. Today, it is still owned by the Mayr-Melnhof family.