Schloss Reitenau

Schloss Reitenau stands in the village of Stambach, part of Grafendorf near Hartberg in the Austrian province of Styria. It began in the 12th century as a farmstead built by Seifried von Kranichberg. By 1309 the Stubenberg counts owned it and granted it to the Reuter family. At the start of the 14th century the Reuters turned it into a small water castle that soon became their own property. The name Reitenau comes from the Reuter family. The castle passed through the Zebinger and Wurmbrand families after the Reuters died out in 1427. Turkish and Hungarian raids in 1529 and 1532 caused heavy damage. In 1610 Rudolf von Wurmbrand rebuilt and enlarged the castle, completing the work eight years later. By the 18th century it had taken on its present appearance. In 1822 it was sold to Ludwig Graf Schönfeld and later to Maria Gräfin Wimpffen. Today the castle remains in private hands, owned by the Lentz family since 1939. Visitors see a moated building with a gatehouse and surrounding ditch from the early 17th century. The main block dates from the 18th century and still shows its original layout. The grounds include the old farm buildings and a large garden enclosed by a wall. The setting in the gently rolling countryside of eastern Styria gives the castle a quiet, secluded air.