Castle Tandalier

The Tandalier Castle, formerly known as Sulzberghof, is situated in the town of Radstadt in the Pongau region of Salzburg.

The Sulzberghof was the predecessor of Schloss Tandalier. According to the records of the Hofmeisteramt of the Archdiocese of Salzburg, the Tändler or Tandalier family had owned it since approximately 1450.In 1537, the Counts of Schernberg acquired the property through an exchange for the arable estates of Enns and Niederteufenbach.This exchange was linked to a prolonged dispute regarding the allocation of pastures, which remained unresolved until 1553.During that period, the Hofkammer officially announced that the property known as “the curia Sultzperg” would be transferred to Wilhelm, the son of the late Count Wilhelm von Schernberg. Additionally, it was agreed that a property of equal value would be recorded in the prince-archbishop’s land register.The Schernberg family has been recognized by the Archbishop of Salzburg as caregivers for centuries.

In 1569, Christoph Graf zu Schernberg and his wife Katharina von Paumgarten converted the property into a Renaissance palace.The presence of an alliance coat of arms of Schernberg-Paumgarten on a ceiling tram located on the 1st floor serves as evidence of this fact.However, the remaining furnishings of the castle, including the painted and inlaid coat of arms and portals, were sold to the owner of Arenberg Castle between 1860 and 1862.The Schernberger family encountered financial difficulties due to unsuccessful mining ventures. As a result, they were compelled to sell their property to the market, and it was acquired by Castle Judge Burkhart Schwaiger in 1611.After him, his son Blasius Schwaiger became the cathedral captain in Mauterndorf, along with Kastner and Mautner.In approximately 1680, Sebastian Pürcher, who served as the Bergverweser in Flachau, purchased the castle.His son later converted the ground floor rooms into an inn.The owners of the property were named as Johann Josef Gottlieb Grimming auf Niederrain and Herr zu Emslieb in 1753.The Hofrat zu Salzburg offered the Tandalier property, located in the Grimming manor, for sale in 1763.

From 1839 onwards, the ownership of the property underwent frequent changes, which did not always result in beneficial outcomes for the property.The carpenter’s shop was established here in 1866, and later in 1873, the castle was used as housing for Italian workers who were involved in constructing the Ennsbahn.

In 1929, the province of Lower Austria purchased the castle and subsequently transformed it into a youth home, which was then placed under the management of the Lower Austrian Youth Welfare Office.The state of Austria assumed ownership starting in 1930.

During the reconstruction of 1569, an additional floor was added to the original farm building. Furthermore, towers were erected on each corner of the structure. Specifically, rectangular towers were built on the north side, while round towers were constructed on the south side.A two-storey arcade front was designed to connect the south-facing towers. The arcade is enclosed by a wooden corridor on the second floor.The towers are adorned with roofs in the shape of tents or cones, while the castle building itself is topped with a hip roof.

A significant conversion took place in 1972 to transform the building into a youth home.The castle, which had only three levels below ground, was entirely underground.Each floor of the building has undergone a conversion process where the spacious dormitories have been transformed into individual rooms equipped with private showers.The gymnasium and the newly constructed service building were inaugurated in 1985.

Today, the federal school country home in Radstadt is located here. It is assigned to the Federal Ministry for Education and Art.