Schloss Seggau is located on a wooded hill overlooking the town of Leibnitz. The area around Schloss Seggau has been settled since at least the Roman era, as demonstrated by the impressive lapidarium which has survived from that period. The upper castle was built by the Archbishopric of Salzburg in the twelfth century as a base for missions and supervision and this original structure was expanded in 1218 by the bishops of Seckau. Over time, a total of three castles were built: Burg Leibnitz (belonging to the Archbishopric of Salzburg), the castle of the bishops of Seckau, and Schloss Polheim. The castles were completed in their present form under Bishop Johann Ernst, Count of Thun, in the latter half of the seventeenth century. Schloss Seggau was the residence of the bishops until 1786, after which it remained their summer residence until into the twentieth century.
Schloss Seggau now serves as a site for seminars and conferences with a hotel and a Schloss Cafe. The wine cellar is over three hundred years old and offers the opportunity for wine tastings and sales.
References:The Gravensteen is a castle in Ghent originating from the Middle Ages. The name means 'castle of the counts' in Dutch. Arnulf I (918–965), Count of Flanders, was the first to fortify this place, building a medieval bastion on this high sand dune, naturally protected by the river Leie and its marshy banks. This bastion consisted of a central wooden building and several surrounding buildings, also in wood.
In the early 11th century, the wooden building was replaced by a stone residence, consisting of three large halls that made up three storeys, connected by a stone stairwell. The monumental stone staircase, the light openings, the fireplaces built into the walls and the latrines were signs of considerable luxury and comfort in those days. There was probably also a tower.