“See Kobersdorf and weep!” … wrote the press in 1963. The reason for this was that the castle, which had fallen into ruin, had been cleared for demolition. In the summer, the walls were to be “pushed into the ditch with a caterpillar” and the area divided into housing plots.
In January of the same year, Arch. Martha Bolldorf-Reitstätter visited Kobersdorf. Having worked on several buildings of the highest cultural standing in the course of her architectural career – such as the restoration of the Belvedere in Vienna – she was looking for a castle that she could rebuild as her “life’s work”.
Although a number of other castles had already been considered, such as Schallaburg or Ladendorf, Kobersdorf was chosen at short notice, probably because time was of the essence here. The first restoration measures were tackled immediately: Along with an accurate survey, bolting had to be carried out to prevent further collapses: Four large vaults and all the wooden ceilings had already collapsed.
The most important work began in the summer: The roof had to be completely removed and rebuilt. However, this measure had the great advantage that the original, very characteristic shape of the pointed tower roofs could be restored with the help of the old engravings from 1660. A whole train – 12 (!) wagons – of Eternit shingles was ordered for the total roof area of 6000m².
However, the first major setback occurred during this project: the vault of the Knights‘ Hall, the largest and culturally most important hall in the castle, collapsed. Almost 40 years were to pass before it could be reopened in 2001, shortly before the death of the lady of the castle. This ceremony also marked the completion of Martha Bolldorf-Reitstätter’s life’s work.
Nonetheless, the restoration work continues and will continue to cause plenty of trouble for generations to come. This applies in particular to the many rooms away from the large state rooms, which were completed in the early 1970s and now require further renovation.
Our endeavor is to continue the work,
which could not have flourished without the help of many hands.
We would like to thank these many helpers once again!