Martina Schagerl

This master thesis deals with the castle Stiebar in Gresten, Lower Austria. Since Gresten has been my hometown and my parents` house is located close with a direct view on the castle, this historical building arouse my interest. The desire to work closer with the castle was developed. It was a very exciting task to deal with the building and explore all the corners of the historical walls. Lower Austria is characterized by a beautiful landscape of castles and old buildings. Within the scope of the work a look was taken at the surrounding buildings of the region. Especially the current use of the castles was analysed. The better the current use of these buildings is, the better conditions they have. This knowledge finally had an impact on my design. The castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century. In 1794 it was subjected to a generous reconstruction. Since then the building has appeared in its present form. The last plans of the castle date back to the year 1794. To develop a secondary use concept, it was important to deal with the existing building. Consequently, the castle was re-measured based on the old plans and a status analysis was also worked up. Damages in the building structure were collected and shown in graphics. The architectural history of the castle is gradually described and gives interesting insights into the past damages and refurbishments of the building. The people who stayed at the castle, including famous artists and painters, are also mentioned. By taking a closer look, the castle - which is placed under preservation - hides a lot of potential, regarding the premises as well as the surrounding landscape. A usage concept is developed that includes public and private rooms. During the revitalization, attention is paid to a sensitive handling of the building substance. The concept also focused on the allocation of new functions. The master thesis Schloss Stiebar Revitalisation - Secondary Use Concept was supervised by Holger Neuwirth (Institute of Architectural Theory, History of Art and Cultural Studies).