Trautenfels Castle

Schloss Trautenfels
Façade, Schloss Trautenfels
General information
Typ	palace
Architectural style	Gothic and Baroque
Standort	Trautenfels, Styria, Austria
Coordinates	47.518889°N 14.080833°E / 47.518889; 14.080833
Elevation	673 m (2,208 ft)
Current tenants	Regional Landscape Museum of the Joanneum
Construction started	before 1260 (medieval construction), 1670 (Baroque construction)
Completed	1672 (current baroque form)
Client	Universalmuseum Joanneum
Owner	The State of Styria
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Manfred Wolff-Plottegg (for 1988-92 renovation)
Other designers	Carpoforo Tencalla

Schloss Trautenfels is a castle in the district of Liezen in Styria. It lies directly on the Enns at 673m in the municipality Pürgg-Trautenfels on a cliff protrusion at the foot of the Grimming.

History

Marble Hall with frescoes by Carpoforo Tencalla

The first documented mention of a construction at the crossroads of the Salzstrasse with the stretch through the Ennstal Valley dates from 1260/62. The medieval construction served as a dam until the 16th century and was know as the Neuhaus. Most notable among the 16th century accouterments are the Rennaissance frescoes. They were likely created by a northern Italian artist on the occasion of the then owner, Ferdinand Hoffman’s, wedding to Margarete von Harrach in 1563. The Styrian head of the provincial government, Count Siegmund Friedrich von Trauttmansdorff acquired the castle in 1664. The current form of the palace dates from 1670 to 1672 and at this time received the name, Schloss Trautenfels. The mighty rectangular construction with (roofed) courts and a high tower accommodates a significant interior decoration (1670 to 1673) with frescoes by Carpoforo Tencalla in the first floor. The free standing castle chapel as well as five bastions are also worth mentioning.

After passing through numerous owners, the palace was bought by Josef Count Lamberg in 1878. After the Second World War the Styrian Jugendherbergswerk acquired the palace and managed it until 1983. At this time the palace came into the possession of the municipality of Pürgg-Trautenfels and the state of Styria. The renovation and the revitalization for the museum use occurred from 1988 to 1992 according to the plans of architect Manfred Wolff-Plottegg. In 1992 the Steierische Landesausstellung (Styrian State Exhibition) took place here. Today the palace is home of the Regional Landscape Museum of the Universalmuseum Joanneum.

Landscape Museum

harvesting exhibit from Landscape Museum

The palace hold a permanent show collection of about 1000 exhibits dealing with both the natural cultural history of the Ennstal Valley as well as the Ausseerland region. In addition, the Antler Room of the Counts of Lamberg, the splendid Marble Hall and the richly decorated State Rooms are also open to visitors.

Church Ruins

A few meters west of the palace on the same ridge lie the ruins of the Protestant church of Neuhaus. At the time of the Reformation this was the most significant religious center of the upper Ennstal valley. The church was established by the lords of Schloss Trautenfels but fell victim shortly thereafter to the particularly potent Counter-Reformation in the Duchy of Styria. In 1991 the remnants of the building were excavated and serve today as a memorial.

Literature

• Karin Leitner-Ruhe, "Aber zugreifen soll man, wo man nur kann." Zum Verkauf von Schloss Trautenfels 1941 durch die Familie Lamberg an die Deutsche Reichspost, in: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Volkskunde 113 (2010) 157-178.
• Katharina Krenn, Schloss Trautenfels - ein dynamischer Platz für ein Museum?, in: Österreichische Zeitschrift für Volkskunde 113 (2010) 250-270.

Weblinks

• The Joanneum - Schloss Trautenfels

47.518889°N 14.080833°E / 47.518889; 14.080833