Grafenort Castle

The origins of the site date back to 1210 when Count Rudolf the Elder of Habsburg acquired the domain in exchange for property in Sarnen. The name “Grafenort” still commemorates this early period of comital ownership. In the late 17th century, specifically between 1689 and 1690, Abbot Burnott had the current castle built on the site of an older “Red House”. The plans for this were drawn up by P. Augustiner Reding, who was later also involved in designing the sacristy and library of Engelberg Monastery. The building served as a summer residence and quarters, as an inn for travelers, and evolved into a central transshipment point for goods, as evidenced by the large ground-floor rooms and elevated hatches.

Today, Grafenort Castle is privately owned. The masonry building features a main facade facing the street, with three floors and seven windows on a rectangular footprint. A wide, arched door in the central axis, adorned with Abbot Burnott's coat of arms and the year 1690, leads to the service rooms on the ground floor. A hip roof with high dormer windows covers the entire structure. A wall encloses the garden, in whose corner stands an octagonal pavilion with a convex roof. Opposite is a farm, and on the other side, a chapel. On the first floor were the monastery hall with wall paneling and decorations by Martin Obersteg (1777), as well as the abbot's room. A stove by Jakob Küchler (1699) with Abbot Albini's coat of arms was also located there.