Pienzenau Castle
Pienzenau Castle is a several hectare property in the Merano district of Obermais in South Tyrol .
The first documented records of a rural estate owned by Klara and Ulrich von Pienzenau ( domina Clara dicta Penznawerin ) can be found around 1394. Georg Büchler von Weidenegg was the owner in the 16th century. In 1779 it was owned by Benedictine monks from the Bavarian monastery Ettal and Pienzenau became a prelate estate. The Pienzenau vineyards covered large parts of the monastery's red wine needs (including mass wine). In addition to farming, Pienzenau was also a place of reflection and recreation for the monks. A path chapel with a prayer niche on the west wall has remained in the possession of Ettal Abbey as an exclave to this day. On behalf of the Benedictine monks, the extensive park was laid out by a Spanish botanist and garden designer, in which you can find many different Mediterranean shrubs and tree species such as hemp palms, monkey slide, cypress, cedar, aracanda and bamboo.
Under Emperor Franz Josef around the middle of the 19th century, the ecclesiastical properties moved in - the Pienzenau estate was for sale. Johann Prunner, landlord and freedom fighter from Schenna , appears in the brisk change of ownership ; Josef von Trauttmannsdorff -Weinsberg acquired it in 1849 , after his death in 1869 the imperial knight Moritz von Leon inherited the property (together with Trauttmansdorff Castle ). Moritz von Leon began to rebuild the manor like a castle and in 1884 he sold it to Eugen von Popoff - a recognized fruit growing pioneer. It was a time of upheaval on Pienzenau, the buildings were given battlements and the interior was renovated - there were coming and going of blue-blooded visitors and guests, especially during the Sissi period from 1870 to 1900. The empress chose the nearby Trauttmansdorff Castle as her holiday home four times - the surrounding castles of Rametz , Rubein and Pienzenau were chosen for her court, including horses and carriages .
At the end of the 19th century, the local press referred to the property as a former farm, villa, residence, palace or castle Pienzenau, and from 1889 onwards the designation palace became established.
This was followed by changing owners, such as Paul Kuh-Chrobak , who hosted artists like Richard Strauss here until the Schölzhorn family acquired the property in 1969 and renovated it from scratch. The rooms and open spaces in the park are now used by the Schloss Pienzenau restaurant as a castle hostel with a public restaurant (Bistro Pienzenau) and are offered for parties, weddings and other events.
Web links
- Entry in the monument browser on the website of the South Tyrolean Monuments Office
- Pienzenau Castle , website of the company
Individual evidence
Coordinates: 46 ° 39 ′ 49.3 " N , 11 ° 10 ′ 52.3" E