Schloss Dornbach, Water castle in Carinthia, Austria

Schloss Dornbach is a water castle in the village of Dornbach, part of the municipality of Malta in Carinthia. A high 14th-century ring wall with arrow slits encloses the castle and its outbuildings within a broad, tree-lined moat. The cubic three-storey Renaissance building, grown from the residential wing of a 14th-century castle, has a hipped roof with a small roof turret, pointed-arch portals from the 15th century and chamfered stone window frames from the 16th century.

The castle first appeared in records in 1462 under the ownership of Andreas von Weißbriach. From 1639 to 1932 it belonged to the Counts of Lodron, marking a long period of stability and development for the property.

The baroque stone figures of Mary (1778) and John Nepomuk (1779) stand in front of the stone bridge on the east side. The castle's name comes from the Dornbach lordship, documented at the end of the 13th century. The coffered ceilings inside date from around 1600.

Schloss Dornbach stands at 797 metres above sea level near the village of Dornbach in the municipality of Malta. A stone bridge on the east side crosses the moat to the gate, where the baroque figures of Mary and John Nepomuk stand; a modern bridge serves the west side. The castle is privately owned and not open to visitors.

A wide wall with arrow slits from the 14th century surrounds the building and demonstrates the original defensive purpose of the castle. These fortifications have rarely survived intact, making it a valuable example of medieval water defense architecture in the region.