Prankh Castle

The present-day castle likely originated in the 11th century. At that time, however, it consisted only of a tower surrounded by a moat. The retainers of the high nobility of Traisen-Feistritz residing here called themselves "de Branka" or "von Prankh". After their lords died out, they became ministeriales of the sovereign. The Prankh family is one of the oldest noble families in Austria. Today, they still own, among others, the castles of Pux and Hautzenbichl in Styria. In 1135, a Wolfgar de Branka is mentioned in documents. Under the Prankhers, the fortifications were expanded at the beginning of the 13th century by erecting another building immediately next to the tower. This building was probably relatively independent, as in the Middle Ages there was always talk of the two Prankh castles. Only the moat and the drawbridge leading over it were common property. Presumably, at least temporarily, two different lines of the family lived here. After the Prankhers inherited the Puxers, who were related to them, in 1425, they preferred their new possessions in the upper Murtal. However, one branch continued to inhabit Prankh Castle. This castle must have been quite well fortified, because when Turkish raiding parties devastated the area and massacred numerous farmers in 1480, they did not dare to attack Prankh. After 1551, Ludwig Stürgkh von Plankenwart, who had married into the family, inherited the lordship. In 1562, the individual buildings were consolidated into a unified Renaissance castle. Stürgkh's sons sold their share in 1578 to Conrad von Hohenburg, who had also made inheritance claims.

In 1584, he was also able to acquire the remaining shares in the lordship. In 1611, the Barons Jakob, Christof, and Ferdinand von Concin inherited the property. This was first leased in 1614 to Hans Christof Prem, the administrator of the Greifenburg lordship, and then sold in 1619. Andree Eusebius Freiherr von Hojos objected and succeeded in having Prankh handed over to him. A legal dispute was decided in his favor in 1622. However, he was not interested in the castle at all and handed it over to Seckau Abbey in the same year. The abbey did not invest much in the already dilapidated building, so that by 1782, when the abbey was dissolved, it was almost in ruins. The Styrian Religious Fund, which had taken over the abbey's estates, also did nothing to improve the situation. In 1823, the Vordernberger Radmeister-Communität auctioned off the lordship, but sold it only three years later to the industrialist family Weinmeister auf Wasserleith. In 1875, another auction took place. Only Franz Meixner, who finally bought the castle, had it restored in 1879 by master builder Carl Pissel from Knittelfeld. However, the associated renovation was carried out with little sensitivity. Further construction work, which unfortunately also did not contribute to the beautification of the building, followed in 1900/01 by the new owner Alexander Ritter von Leuzendorf. After the death of his widow, it passed to her adopted son Baron Camillo von Thalhammer in 1934. Prankh Castle received its present well-maintained appearance after the industrialist Alfred Hamker took it over in 1963. It currently belongs to his son Michael Hamker.

The former moated castle is located on the eastern edge of the village of the same name, which today belongs to St. Marein. It was once surrounded by a wide moat, of which only remnants remain. Through the fish farming carried out in it, it formerly contributed to the income of the lordship. The two- to three-story Renaissance castle consists of two parallel narrow longitudinal wings, which are connected by two short transverse buildings. The central building is a residential tower from the 16th century, which presumably emerged from the original defensive tower. The small inner courtyard shows five Renaissance arcades in the two lower floors of the surrounding buildings since 1582, but these are only partially effective due to the historicist extensions of 1879 and 1901, which, like the staircase built at that time, had significantly narrowed the courtyard. At the back, a semicircular wing projects. The windows in the smooth facades are modern. Access to the castle is in the west, where there is a gatehouse with a small tower. The interiors are tastefully furnished and equipped with family portraits. In the corner of a salon, a beautiful colored tiled stove has been preserved. The castle path is decorated with large baroque sandstone vases. About 70 m next to the castle is a large farmstead.