Premstätten Castle

The first documented mention of Premstätten Castle occurred in 1164, when it served as the ancestral seat for the Lords of Premstätten. After this family died out in 1386, the property passed to Hans den Ketzer. From 1441 to 1870, the estate was owned by the Saurau family. Jörg von Saurau received royal permission in 1448 to rebuild the dilapidated tower. In 1532, the barely fortified castle suffered severe damage during the first Austrian-Ottoman War. Under Leonhard von Saurau, it was expanded into a representative castle and established as a family entailed estate in 1635. The castle chapel was consecrated in 1774, and the facades were baroque-styled the following year. After the Saurau line ended, the castle passed into the possession of the Goëss family, followed by Countess Hermine von Normann-Ehrenfels in 1904. A fire in 1911 destroyed the roof structure, which was promptly renewed.