Merkenstein Castle

The origins of the estate date back to the early 19th century, when Joseph Carl Graf Dietrichstein had a country house built in Swiss style between 1801 and 1803. His wife Elisabeth designed the accompanying castle garden, which was supplemented by historicizing elements such as a hermitage and a lookout tower. An older chapel from the 16th century was renovated during this period. In 1829, Joachim Eduard Graf Münch-Bellinghausen acquired the Merkenstein estate. He had the existing country house demolished and replaced by a castle in Tudor style, whose planning was undertaken by architects August Schwendenwein and Johann Romano von Ringe. After his death, Münch-Bellinghausen was buried in a crypt under the chapel, which was later plundered during the Russian occupation.