Waasen Castle

The castle was probably built in the 12th century as a simple defensive structure. The high-ranking freemen Diepold and Engelschalk von Waasen appear several times in documents between 1140 and 1183, but they probably had nothing to do with the South Styrian Waasen, as their ancestral castle was on Lake Attersee. More likely is Otto von Waasen, who is first mentioned in 1208.

The Waasen family probably died out in 1370. The heiress Agnes mortgaged the lordship in 1375 to the brothers Wilhelm and Erasmus von Perneck. Since both shared the castle, it was expanded accordingly in the 14th century. In 1439, Hedwig, Wilhelm's widow, ceded Waasen to Anna von Stubenberg.

However, she only waited for the enfeoffment by the sovereign and sold the lordship as early as 1442 to her cousin Wilhelm the Younger von Perneck. In 1523, Hans Holzapfel, who was married to a Pernecker, took over the property. In 1606, his widow was settled, and six years later, Balthasar Galler acquired the lordship of Waasen by way of a settlement. Under the Galler family, the castle was expanded into a palace. At the beginning of the 18th century, the uninhabited palace was dilapidated. Franz Karl Graf Galler sold Waasen in 1809 to Franz Xaver Graf Liechtenberg. There were frequent changes of ownership in both the 19th and 20th centuries.

The Lewohl family, who owned the palace from 1817 to 1872, had it renovated and established an agricultural business in the outbuildings. In 1945, Dr. H. G. Toderer acquired the palace. Extensive restorations took place in 1970 and 1977. Today, Waasen belongs to the Hödl family.