Jesuiten Castle

The Jesuit Castle is a stately estate in Merzhausen near Freiburg im Breisgau. It is located on the north side of the Schönberg above Merzhausen with a wide view over Freiburg, which is immediately to the north, the Kaiserstuhl and the southern Black Forest.

Its name derives from its former owners. The Jesuits, who taught at the University of Freiburg from 1620, received the estate as a gift from the Schnewlin-Bernlapp von Bollschweil family on February 10, 1635. According to the plaque above the entrance dating from 1901, the manor house was built in 1666, although there are legitimate doubts about this date. When the order was dissolved in 1773, the Schnewlin-Bernlapp, the Barons of Bollschweil, bought back their original castle for 66,000 fl. Subsequently, the property passed to the Kageneck family. Mostly, the estate was used as a noble residence and underwent many structural changes. In 1898, the Heiliggeistspitalstiftung acquired the complex and leased it out.

Since 1985, the winery of the Freiburg Heiliggeistspitalstiftung, the Stiftungsweingut Freiburg founded in 1298, has been established on the estate. In addition to the winery, there is a tasting room and a large hall. Furthermore, an excursion restaurant can be found on the castle grounds.