Schloss Mühlegg, also spelled Mühleck, is a castle in the market town of Gössendorf in Styria. Its history goes back to the middle of the 14th century. The astronomer Johannes Kepler lived in this castle for a short time. Since 1974 it has been used by the Styrian Chamber of Commerce as a boarding school for apprentices.
About history
View of the castle from the courtyard side A mill was first mentioned in 1355 at the location of the later castle, to which it also owes its current name. Until 1575 the farm belonged to the Grazer Hubamt (financial authority) and in that year came into the possession of the miller Jobst Müller. In 1597 the astronomer Johannes Kepler married Müller's twice widowed daughter Barbara. Müller had an astronomical tower built for Kepler, which was demolished in 1868. Kepler lived in the residence until 1599, but then had to leave the country because of his Protestant faith. In 1603, Michael Müller added the suffix "von und zu Mühleck" to his name. Later he was raised to the hereditary knighthood and the estate was freed from the usual conditions and taxes.
Müller's heirs sold the castle in 1642 to Weikhart Fettauer, the owner of Alt-Sturmberg Castle. He sold it to Georg Andree von Schrampf in 1657. Schrampf in turn passed it on to Baron Johann Gabriel von Maschwander in 1661. Hans Friedrich Graf Galler bought the property in 1664, but accumulated such high debts in the years that followed that after the death of Countess Anna Theresia Galler in 1733, it was confiscated and auctioned off in 1741. At the auction, Rudolf von Streitz was awarded the contract. After Streitz, there were frequent changes of ownership. From 1931 until their expropriation in 1940, the Freiherren Berger-Waldenegg owned Mühlegg. They were succeeded by Alfred Graf Doret until 1959. After 1959, the Christian World Mission housed a branch in the castle building. The Styrian Chamber of Commerce has been using the castle as a boarding school for apprentices since 1974, for which purpose it was converted and other buildings were newly constructed.