Schloss Poitschach, Feldkirchen

Schloss Poitschach stands in the village of Poitschach near Feldkirchen in Carinthia. Built in 1715 by Johann Lorenz von Jovio, it was once the seat of ironmasters. The building was enlarged and modernised in 1759 by Freiherr von Rechbach. Later it belonged to Graf Spindler, then to Gräfin Gilleis-Gavasini. After her family’s bankruptcy the estate changed hands repeatedly before being bought by the Senitza family in 1938. The two-storey structure has a rectangular plan with a tower on the south side. The west entrance is marked 1715 and framed by acanthus motifs in the spandrels. Above the gate lintel are painted baroque coats of arms of the Leitner and Jovio families. On the east façade an oriel window from the late 19th century is richly decorated with scroll brackets, stucco panels and bull’s-eye glazing. Inside, a fragment of a Roman-era relief shows a mourning genius. Several rooms retain early 19th-century ceilings with geometric stucco patterns. Across from the castle stands a two-storey Biedermeier building whose gate grille is dated 1833. The estate now serves as both residence and headquarters for a forestry and agricultural business run by the Senitza family.