Schloss Kirchberg am Walde

Schloss Kirchberg stands in Grafendorf near Hartberg in the Austrian province of Styria. Built around 1130 by Graf Ekbert II. von Formbach-Pitten as a fortress, it once controlled settlement and farming in the area. After Turkish raids destroyed it, the Trauttmansdorff family rebuilt it in 1532 and held it until 1669. The Auersperg family then owned it from 1670 to 1802, leaving their coat of arms carved above the main gate. Hieronymus Wolf bought it in 1802, and his descendants kept it for nearly a century before it passed through many hands until the state of Styria took it over in 1923. Since 1923 the castle has housed a state agricultural college that trains young people in farming and forestry. The surrounding estate still teaches modern land management alongside centuries-old techniques. A stone column topped by a statue of the Virgin Mary stands in the grounds, its inscription dating it to 1667. The column was raised to mark the victory over the Turks at Mogersdorf three years earlier. Both castle and column are protected monuments. Visitors walk past the Auersperg coat of arms on the main gate and into a courtyard framed by the old walls. Inside, classrooms and workshops occupy rooms once used by noble families. Outside, the Mariensäule rises on a small square beside the castle gate. Beyond the buildings, fields and woodlands stretch out under the hills of eastern Styria. The college’s presence keeps the place alive with students and teachers who maintain the estate’s traditions.