Wildberg Castle - Schloss Wildberg

Wildberg Castle - Schloss Wildberg, Messern, Lower Austria, Republic of Austria.

    From the very beginning, the history of the village Messern was inextricably linked to Wildberg Castle, perched high above the Taffa Valley, with which Messern formed a single entity. The origins of the Wildberg lordship date back to the late 11th century. Wiltperch is first mentioned in a document around 1135. The castle was owned by the Counts of Hohenburg(-Wildberg), a branch of the Counts of Poigen. After their extinction, it was granted by King Ottokar II in the second half of the 13th century to the Lords of Maissau, who expanded it in the 14th century. The Maissau family was succeeded in 1432 by the Lords of Puchheim, under whose rule the castle was occupied by troops of the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus in 1482/1485.
    In the 16th century, the Puchheim family were among the leading Protestant nobles of the region and brought Protestant preachers to Wildberg. In 1580, Albrecht von Puchheim established a printing press, where the so-called "Wildberg Prints" were produced: Protestant tracts, pamphlets, sermons, etc. The printing press continued to operate even after the re-Catholicization until 1770, when it was finally relocated to Horn.
    At the end of the 16th century, Hans von Puchheim transformed the picturesque estate into a Renaissance castle and fortified it. Until the 17th century, the castle served as a refuge for the surrounding area. When Hans von Puchheim participated in the Protestant opposition to Emperor Ferdinand II, Wildberg was confiscated from him in 1620. Due to substantial tax debts, the estate was auctioned off and passed to the Barons (later Counts) of Traun. They were succeeded in 1669 by the Barons of Selb, and from 1767 to 1952 by Altenburg Abbey. Since 1952 the castle has been privately owned (Mang family, from 1971 Salis family) and is not open to the public.

Source: https://www.gedaechtnisdeslandes.at/orte/ort/messern/