Schloß Hantberg

Schloss Hantberg stands in Johnsdorf-Brunn in the South-East Styria region of Austria. The building was begun in 1897 by the Belgian count Clemente de Renesse, who bought land nearby to be close to the woman he loved, Josefa Herring, then married to another man. After her husband’s death they married in 1909, but financial difficulties followed the First World War. The count died in 1929 and Josefa in 1952. Later owners restored the castle and added new wings between 1980 and the early 1990s, using matching stone so the additions blend with the original structure. The castle was built in the last quarter of the 19th century in the Historicist style. It has two main wings joined by a bridge, and its walls of exposed masonry give it a faintly fortified look. Inside there is a small chapel, and outside the building is surrounded by a landscaped park. The park and the castle together form a quiet green space in the rolling countryside of Styria. Visitors walk through the park to reach the bridge that links the two wings. The chapel inside the castle is a simple room with plain furnishings. The stonework of the newer parts matches the older, so the whole building reads as a single harmonious structure. From the park there are views across the fields and woods of the region.