Schloss Saager

Schloss Saager stands near the Annakirche in the village of Saager, part of Grafenstein in southern Austria. The two-storey building has a steep roof and two square corner towers placed diagonally. One tower likely marks the site of an older bergfried, while the other was altered in the 20th century. The castle has belonged to several families since a tower was first recorded in 1372. After the Metnitz family held it for centuries, the artist Giselbert Hoke took possession in 1961 and his sons in 1993. A 16th-century expansion added rooms with ribbed ceilings and panelled beams. In 1919 the castle suffered shelling during the Kärntner Abwehrkampf and was rebuilt the following year with a new south tower and loggia. Inside, visitors find vaulted cellars and a 16th-century loggia. A ground-floor hall displays murals by Giselbert Hoke from 1969. The exterior was restored in stages, most recently in 1994. The building remains under official protection as a listed monument.