Photo: Gartenschloss Herberstein · Kasofoto

Gartenschloss Herberstein

Stubenberg, Styria

burgführung

Like a gigantic ship of stone, GARTENSCHLOSS Herberstein lies on the Feistritz. One could also say: like a mighty, rocky wedge, carrying 700 years of history within its magnificent walls, it becomes a witness to European history. Yet the castle, which is still inhabited by the family in its 21st generation today, consists not only of stone and rock. This piece of Styria stands for the people who created and shaped this place. This is the home of Siegmund Herberstein, born in 1486, whose 69 diplomatic missions to Eastern Europe led him, among other places, to the court of Suleiman the Magnificent. Herberstein, these are knights like Baron Georg von Herberstein, whose magnificent armor becomes a tangible symbol of power and grandeur for the visitor. If you look very closely, you might hear the crowd cheering on the rider at the tournament. Herberstein and its lords, its thinkers and counts, become the foundation of history, like the cornerstone from the 12th century. "Eh wieges, dann wages so nachts wie tags" (Honor what is weighed, then dare it by night as by day) is the family motto of the Herbersteins. This sentence is engraved on a 16th-century executioner's sword. Johann Josef von Herberstein also carried these words in his heart. In 1686, far from the wild romantic landscape around Herberstein, the knight was given command of the entire Maltese fleet. He remained victorious over the squadrons of the pirate states of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. In 1644, the Herberstein family attained the hereditary Austrian count's title; in 1710, they were elevated to the Imperial Count status. In the 17th and 18th centuries, about one-fifth of Styria was owned by the Counts Herberstein. More than a dozen castles and palaces from Istria to Bohemia, from Carinthia to Silesia, made the Herbersteins a power in Europe. There was hardly a war against Venetians, Turks, Prussians, or French in which at least one Herberstein did not participate as a captain, fortress commander, or field marshal general. But Herberstein does not only speak of heroic deeds, armor, and power. All these stories of glory are connected with grown, cultivated harmony and indeed also loveliness, which could thrive harmoniously together over centuries. The Feistritz can be seen as a symbol for the history of the castle. Like the eventful history of this place, the river babbles merrily or carries wild water with it. The name Herberstein also stands for unique nature, which has had time here for centuries to develop into a botanical splendor in various gardens of different epochs and styles. It leads the visitor between herbs, fruit trees, terraced beds, water cascades, and hundreds of rose bushes into a floral magical world and equally leaves space for amazement and breathing deeply. GARTENSCHLOSS Herberstein is a cultural concentrate. The epochs of Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque make a trip to this place a journey into another world. It can be experienced here so authentically and dust-free, as if one were boarding a time machine with various destinations at the entrance to the castle. Just as the rosebuds open countless times anew each year, just as the wine grown here is harvested every autumn, the castle does not only want to sharpen the view of yesterday. The Herberstein family is aware that history can only live if it is repeatedly brought into the present along manifold paths. A sign of this, among many others, is the Gironcoli Museum created here, where various exhibitions and events take place. This architectural jewel by Hermann Eisenköck is named after Bruno Gironcoli, one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. If history is to follow a path, then this place is a unique opportunity to pursue it, as the Herberstein family continues to do to this day. This location is also perfect for celebrations of all kinds. For appointments, please contact us directly.