Schloss Reifnitz: A Nineteenth-Century Lakeside Villa in Austria
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.3
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Austria
- Primary era
- Modern
- Eras represented
- Modern
- Civilizations
- Habsburg
- Site type
- Domestic
- Remains
- Elite Residence
On this page7 sections
History
Schloss Reifnitz is a nineteenth-century stately villa, also known as Villa Bercht, at Reifnitz in Austria. Built in 1898 in a style recalling Hamburg’s Alster palaces, it stands above Lake Wörthersee and is commonly called a small castle because of its form and setting.
Construction and the Bercht family
The Bercht family acquired the property for its lakeside location and commissioned a villa for Adolf Heinrich Bercht. The plans came from Professor Zenkonski, an architect from Hamburg. After construction, the property was transferred to Adolf Heinrich Bercht. Its castle-like appearance and position on a rocky promontory led to the name Schloss Reifnitz, although the building was not a medieval fortress.
The family’s public connection with the property grew after Adolf Heinrich Bercht became mayor of Klagenfurt in the late 1920s. He sought a twinning arrangement between Klagenfurt and Hamburg, the native city of his grandfather. Hamburg residents considered the proposal impractical because of the distance, and Bercht later concluded a twinning arrangement with Wiesbaden, which he believed could bring economic benefits.
Municipal ownership and later changes
Maria Wörth acquired the property in 1986 with the intention of moving municipal offices into the building, but the plan was not carried out. The estate was sold to Magna in late 2005 for 6.4 million euros, together with approximately seven hectares of land. The sale prompted protests and criticism that the property had been sold too cheaply. After the sale process began, two hectares were rezoned for building and spa-related use.
Magna proposed a management retreat with a three-and-a-half-storey hotel complex containing 275 beds, 14 detached villas beside the lake, further buildings, and sports facilities. Inadequate profitability forecasts prevented the project from being realized. In 2011, Frank Stronach and his former manager Siegfried Wolf bought the renovated castle from Magna for 13.55 million euros and used the estate privately. In 2013, Austria’s Economic and Corruption Prosecutor’s Office investigated the purchases involving Stronach, Wolf, the mayor of Maria Wörth, and several municipal councillors.
The building was also used as a filming location for the television-film series Der Arzt vom Wörthersee – Schatten im Paradies, which increased its public recognition. Schloss Reifnitz is protected under Austrian monument law as monument number 12938 and forms part of the protected cultural monuments of Maria Wörth.
Remains
Schloss Reifnitz occupies a rocky promontory directly above the southern shore of Lake Wörthersee at Reifnitz. The surviving structure is a nineteenth-century stately villa whose castle-like form and elevated lakeside position explain its name. Its design recalls the representative villas and palace-like buildings associated with Hamburg’s Alster landscape.
The lakeside villa
Exterior setting and design
Constructed in 1898 to plans by Professor Zenkonski, the villa is positioned above the lake and has views across Lake Wörthersee. Its architectural character belongs to a grand nineteenth-century residence rather than a fortified medieval complex. Alterations and additions have changed the building since its construction.
Later alterations and uses
The rear side of the building consists almost entirely of a glass facade, reflecting later changes to the original structure. During the period when the property belonged to Maria Wörth, the building was used as a gallery. The castle was later renovated before its private purchase in 2011.
