Thal, Austria
Encyclopedia
Thal (ˈtaːl) is a small village in Austria
, and a suburb of Graz
. The village is about 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) from the edge of Graz. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger
, it has a population of 2,138, and it boasts a remarkably different and striking modern church.
. Thal is a scattered settlement of houses, consisting of about 19 grouped hamlets: Eben, Eck, Hardt, Haslau, Kirchberg, Kötschberg, Linak, Oberbichl, Oberthal, Plabutsch, Schlüsselhof, Steinberg, Unterbichl, Unterthal, Waldsdorf, Waldsdorfberg, Wendlleiten, Windhof, Winkel. The village contains a small lake called Thalersee.
. In 1563 major conversion and renovation work was carried out on the castle under the then owner and designer, Erasmus of Windisch-Graetz, which saw it expanded into a Renaissance
style stately home with a courtyard surrounded on three sides by three-storey high, columnar arcade
s. There is still an underground passage, dating to that period, that runs as far as Graz, but it is impassable after the first several hundred metres.
From 1605 to 1622 the house was owned by Bernard Walter of Walthersweil and, from 1622 to 1624, by the Schranz of Schranzenegg family, who sold it to Siegmund Friedrich, Count Trautmannsdorff. During the rule of Sigmund Frederick the Younger of Trautmannsdorff, Oberthal House was converted and expanded between 1656 and 1661 into one of the most splendid in the area around the state capital. Above the house, a large pleasure garden (Lustgarten) was established, based on French prototypes, surrounded by a wall and decorated with grottos and a small maison de plaisance. In 1798 Thal House and its estate was sold to Leopold Edler of Warnhauser and remained in the possession of his family until 1841. From 1841 onwards the palace was owned by the Freiherr
en of Walterskirchen. In 1846 the house was remodelled into the Romanesque
style of a Scottish
castle.
In 1905 Oberthal was sold to a Slovenian
consortium, who had to give up the property after a short time for financial reasons. The house subsequently changed hands several times in the ensuing period and steadily fell into a state of dilapidation until it ended up in the hands of Dr. Friedrich Schuster who had the building repaired again, getting rid of the 1846 modifications and reinstating its original Baroque appearance. In 1940 the house and the estate went to the Essberger family. From 1945 to 1955 the British garrison headquarters was based here, and from 1955 to 1957 part of the house was rented to the British ambassador. On 1 November 1958 the house was restored to John Theodor Essberger, who died in 1959, whereupon his daughter, Lieselotte von Rantzau inherited it. Frau Liselotte von Rantzau died in 1993, since when it has been owned by her sons, Dr. Eberhart and Heinrich von Rantzau.
n governor (Landeshauptmann), Georg von Khevenhüller. From 1621, when it was owned by the Eggenberger family, the castle fell into ruins. In 1715 a fire destroyed large parts of the fortress. By around 1750 the castle church had also fallen into ruins. In 1772 the statue of the church patron was ceremoniously transferred to the present parish church and the old church demolished. In the subsequent period only the round tower was occupied until 1979. In 1996 parts of the castle were restored and made inhabitable again.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, and a suburb of Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. The village is about 3.2 kilometres (2 mi) from the edge of Graz. It is most famous for being the birthplace of Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
, it has a population of 2,138, and it boasts a remarkably different and striking modern church.
History
The first forest village settlement was established in the 10th century. In the following two centuries, scattered hamlets grew up in the area, On 1 January 1850 the settlement became known as "St. Jacob Thal". On 1 January 1995 the village became a settlement with market town (Marktgemeinde) status.Geography
The village is located about 3.2 km west of the Styrian capital of GrazGraz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
. Thal is a scattered settlement of houses, consisting of about 19 grouped hamlets: Eben, Eck, Hardt, Haslau, Kirchberg, Kötschberg, Linak, Oberbichl, Oberthal, Plabutsch, Schlüsselhof, Steinberg, Unterbichl, Unterthal, Waldsdorf, Waldsdorfberg, Wendlleiten, Windhof, Winkel. The village contains a small lake called Thalersee.
Parish church of St. Jacob
In 1735, a wooden chapel was built in Baroque style. In 1772, the parish church of St. Jacob was built and originally dedicated to St. Sebastian. It was extended in 1992, with the foundation stone laid on May 23, 1992 and the church was consecrated on 15 May, 1994 by Johann Weber. The extension to the existing church was by the architect Dr. Manfred Fuchs Bichler, and the Austrian painter, graphic artist and architect Prof. Ernst Fuchs. The artistic design of the entire complex with bright colors and shapes and impressive lighting effects received critical acclaim.Oberthal House
By the 12th century, the lords of Waldsdorf had established their seat on the site of the present stately home in the shape of a fortified manor house with a large dairy farm. From 1315 to 1605 it was owned by the noble family of Windisch-GraetzWindisch-Graetz
The House of Windisch-Graetz, also spelled Windisch-Grätz, was a princely family in the Austrian Empire, serving the Habsburg dynasty.The name derives from the town of Windischgrätz in the Duchy of Styria, which is today Slovenj Gradec in the Carinthia region of Slovenia...
. In 1563 major conversion and renovation work was carried out on the castle under the then owner and designer, Erasmus of Windisch-Graetz, which saw it expanded into a Renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
style stately home with a courtyard surrounded on three sides by three-storey high, columnar arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
s. There is still an underground passage, dating to that period, that runs as far as Graz, but it is impassable after the first several hundred metres.
From 1605 to 1622 the house was owned by Bernard Walter of Walthersweil and, from 1622 to 1624, by the Schranz of Schranzenegg family, who sold it to Siegmund Friedrich, Count Trautmannsdorff. During the rule of Sigmund Frederick the Younger of Trautmannsdorff, Oberthal House was converted and expanded between 1656 and 1661 into one of the most splendid in the area around the state capital. Above the house, a large pleasure garden (Lustgarten) was established, based on French prototypes, surrounded by a wall and decorated with grottos and a small maison de plaisance. In 1798 Thal House and its estate was sold to Leopold Edler of Warnhauser and remained in the possession of his family until 1841. From 1841 onwards the palace was owned by the Freiherr
Freiherr
The German titles Freiherr and Freifrau and Freiin are titles of nobility, used preceding a person's given name or, after 1919, before the surname...
en of Walterskirchen. In 1846 the house was remodelled into the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
style of a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
castle.
In 1905 Oberthal was sold to a Slovenian
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
consortium, who had to give up the property after a short time for financial reasons. The house subsequently changed hands several times in the ensuing period and steadily fell into a state of dilapidation until it ended up in the hands of Dr. Friedrich Schuster who had the building repaired again, getting rid of the 1846 modifications and reinstating its original Baroque appearance. In 1940 the house and the estate went to the Essberger family. From 1945 to 1955 the British garrison headquarters was based here, and from 1955 to 1957 part of the house was rented to the British ambassador. On 1 November 1958 the house was restored to John Theodor Essberger, who died in 1959, whereupon his daughter, Lieselotte von Rantzau inherited it. Frau Liselotte von Rantzau died in 1993, since when it has been owned by her sons, Dr. Eberhart and Heinrich von Rantzau.
Ruins of Thal Castle
Thal Castle was first mentioned in the records in 1259, having been built on a hillock between the present parish church and the lake of Thalersee, probably at the beginning of the 13th century. The castle was surrounded by a thick defensive wall with embrasures and battlement walks (Wehrgänge). Within the wall was the Palas and other residential buildings like the castle church dedicated to St. James. In 1569, Unterthal Castle and the estates of Sebastian of Windisch-Graetz were sold to the CarinthiaCarinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
n governor (Landeshauptmann), Georg von Khevenhüller. From 1621, when it was owned by the Eggenberger family, the castle fell into ruins. In 1715 a fire destroyed large parts of the fortress. By around 1750 the castle church had also fallen into ruins. In 1772 the statue of the church patron was ceremoniously transferred to the present parish church and the old church demolished. In the subsequent period only the round tower was occupied until 1979. In 1996 parts of the castle were restored and made inhabitable again.
External links
- Photos of Thal, with descriptions, from About.comAbout.comAbout.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
. - Thal im Wiki
- Our Friends in Thal