Schloss Liebenau, Protected castle in Graz, Austria

Schloss Liebenau is a three-story castle in Graz featuring Renaissance architecture and a baroque gate structure. The building has been expanded and modified over centuries, passing through different architectural phases.

The building was first documented in 1164 under a different name and later renamed. In 1854 it was converted into a military academy, fundamentally changing how it was used.

The name Liebenau replaced the older Vatersdorf after 1620, when the Vorau monastery bought the estate and used it as a recovery house for sick members of the order. The monastery also built a bergfried there. The baroque gate of the former cadet school is a protected monument, as is the neighbouring building and a war memorial beside the grounds.

The site now houses an educational institution and is not freely open to the public for touring inside. However, viewing the exterior and grounds from outside provides a good sense of the building's architecture and overall appearance.

For centuries the location served as a control point for trade traffic moving along the Mur River. Its position on this water route determined its importance across different ruling families.