Wednesdaywalk by 
Hi everyone!
Last Thursday was glorious late winter weather, too good to just stay at home. So my husband and I decided to go on a trip, but it shouldn't be too far from home because we wanted to be back with our animals in the late afternoon. We searched the internet for travel destinations in the vicinity and then became aware of this interesting castle that we hadn't known before.
We set off at 8:30 in the morning at minus 3°C and reached our destination after 90 minutes. During the morning the temperatures rose significantly, up to plus 12 degrees, it was wonderful!
Geographical location: 47.379144°, 15.972597°
Aichberg Castle is located between Vorau, the home of the beautiful Augustinian monastery and the East Styrian river Lafnitz. The castle on the outskirts of the small town of Eichberg, on one of the numerous hills of Joglland, was once part of a medieval ring of castles to defend the eastern border of the empire. Today it houses an extensive collection of art objects and is a place where history and art meet.
Contrary to all expectations, you will not only find art from the past, but also a lot of contemporary art, which found its way to Schloss Aichberg mainly through the current owner Cajetan Gril. He has owned the castle since 1986 and is also home to the bustling art dealer's unique collection. The premises of the castle can be rented for events, two cozy apartments offer space to spend the night in Aichberg Castle.
It is not known exactly when the first fortifications were located on the site of today's Aichberg Castle. There was probably already a wooden fortification around the middle of the 11th century, which was supposed to make Hungarian incursions more difficult. A stone castle was built towards the end of the 12th century as part of the construction of a belt of castles on the eastern border of the Holy Roman Empire, which ended at the Lafnitz. Aichberg Castle was first mentioned in a document in 1374, the lords of Aichberg were mentioned as early as 1250 in a document from Vorau Abbey. In the course of time the owners of the castle changed several times, the lords of Steinpeiß had their seat in the castle for a relatively long time from 1412 to 1771.
The Turkish invasions of 1529 and 1532 made things difficult for the rulers, Haiduks and Kuruzzi also attacked the castle several times during the 17th century. During the First World War, the castle served as quarters for Galician refugees. During the Second World War, the castle was first used as a prisoner of war camp, but soon it became a command center for the German Wehrmacht and later also for the Russian army. After the end of the war, it was again quarters for refugees. After the Viennese art dealer Cajetan Gril took over the castle in 1986, he carried out extensive renovation work to revitalize the building.
Aichberg Castle is a strongly articulated, irregularly rectangular building, with a Marian column from the 17th century, which was a Steinpeiß foundation, at the driveway. The original medieval core of the building can still be seen from a late Gothic courtyard window in the east wing. The exterior facade was renovated between 1995 and 1996 and has had an unusual play of colors since then: the base zone is white, while both upper floors are black, white window frames and floor separations break up the dark facade. Renaissance sgraffito facades, which were also kept in black and white, serve as a model for this somewhat unusual appearance. In the inner courtyard you will find arcades from the second half of the 16th century on the second floor. The castle's Loretto chapel was consecrated in 1742 and was converted into a crypt chapel in 1844.
If you cross the Lafnitz in Rohrbach and drive on increasingly narrow roads to the town of Eichberg, the anthracite-colored castle can no longer be overlooked. Stylishly framed windows, stately painting and a beautiful old roof catch the eye. The remains of the fore-castle walls lead to the large entrance gate.
The title of the permanent exhibition at castle Aichberg “What remains? Findings about the history of a castle” sums up what Cajetan Gril is doing here: He wants to present history, interpret it and illustrate it with objects. The historian, art-obsessed and lord of the castle has succeeded in staging the interplay of things from the past with modern art. The initial impetus came when Cajetan Gril, in the course of the early restoration work, began to break through between two rooms and was at a loss as to how to design the new door. It was then that he called in art for the first time. The recently deceased Austrian artist Oswald Stimm "designed a door for me and built it right away". This was the first contemporary object created for Aichberg Castle. The many others fit in perfectly.
The kitten was so cute, she couldn't get enough of my cuddles, she followed me everywhere,
but later she ended up lying in a warm, sunny place.
Anyone who says Schloss Aichberg must also say Cajetan Gril, because it is the busy art dealer with a gallery in Vienna who brought the castle, whose origins date back to the 11th century, back into shape and today always shows unusual exhibitions.
The castle, which was spared almost no military conflict and other turmoil in the region, came into the possession of a Prague stationer in 1817 as a lottery. Even after that, the castle did not rest. In the Second World War it finally served as quarters for the Wehrmacht and a place of refuge for thepopulation. Cajetan Gril took it over in 1986 and renovated it bit by bit.
To the hiking trail/Gera Park
There is a lot to discover in and around Eichberg. During a leisurely hike through forest and meadows, you have the opportunity to explore the beautiful, typically East Styrian landscape of Eichberg and its surroundings and to feel at home in nature. The 10 km circular route at GERA Park leads from one theme park to the next. Whether adventure water park with stream water Kneipp path, active park, forest and hunting trail with lookout tower or the mineralosium. This is a park for generations.
Now go through the forest down to the brook
I read this park is for all generations so go for it LOL
Of course, I always have my crystal ball with me
What could be nicer than crystal clear water in a stream
On this plaque you can read:
Some Eichberger farmers were subjects of the pastor of Grafendorf, where tithes were paid. On the way there they had to cross the Lungitzbach, where one day a dragon ambushed them. The beast could only be appeased with a few ducks. One day, however, the beast pounced on the peasants and killed them. The fear of the dragon grew and so several boys set out to kill the dragon. They crept up to the beast and after a few hits it was dead on the ground. The surprise was very big, because the beast was the knight of Aichberg disguised as a dragon. At this point the mill was later built.
On the way back
around the castle
Unfortunately my wednesday walk is over again, but I hope you had almost as much fun as I did.
