Gösting Castle

Gösting Castle, located in Graz, Styria, is a magnificent baroque palace.Gösting is located at the base of the Burgberg, alongside the Thaler Bach, in the 13th district of Graz.The building is accessible by bus line 40, which conveniently terminates in front of the castle.

In 1723, Gösting Castle was struck by lightning, causing a fire that completely destroyed the castle’s powder store. As a result, Count Ignaz Maria von Attems, the owner of the castle at that time, made the decision not to rebuild it.The architect Johann Georg Stengg was subsequently hired to construct a summer palace in the valley, situated adjacent to the Thaler Bach.However, there are some lunette vaults located on the ground floor of the castle that indicate the presence of an older structure. These vaults were likely part of an office building dating back to the 17th century, upon which the new castle was constructed between 1724 and 1728.

The building was completed in 1728, but the interior was not finished until 1735.During the years 1844/45, the French gardens underwent a transformation and were converted into an English park.In 1891, Karl Lacher presented plans for a partial remodeling of the interior.The Attems family were the owners of Gösting Castle until 1955. After that, the castle was sold to Hans and Grete Totz, who took responsibility for repairing the damage caused by the war.The interior was negatively affected due to the practice of renting out multiple rooms as living quarters for guest workers.The exterior of the building was renovated in 1960, and the roof was renewed in 1967.Gösting Castle remains under private ownership.

The palace features a lengthy main front that is enhanced by a central risalit, which is accompanied by side wings positioned at right angles.The pillared arcades that follow lead to two square corner pavilions.The street-facing side of the castle is adorned with foliage and strapwork stucco on the first floor. It features decorative window crowns and gables embellished with vase decorations.The client’s monogram is attached to the central avant-corps, right next to the stucco.The stone portal of the shoulder arch is adorned with vases and features decorative wrought iron window lattice baskets.

The facade on the courtyard side is more simplistic, adorned with rocaille stone vases and sandstone angel putti. These putti feature cartouches displaying the coats of arms of Earls Attems and Leslie, dating back to approximately 1765/70.