Schloss Stainz is Stainz castle in Styria, Austria. Today the Baroque castle belongs to the family of the counts of Merano and is sed of the hunting museum and the agricultural museum, both belonging to the Styrian Joanneum Universal Museum.
Schloss Stainz History
Schloss Stainz and today Stainz castle in Styria, Austria. Today the baroque castle belongs to the family of the counts of Merano.
The Augustinian monastery of Stainz was founded when Leuthold von Wildon, then lord of Stainz, built a monastery and a small church on Schlossberg in 1229. The monastery was installed with canons of Seckau. The monastery flourished in the 16th century between 1596 and 1629 under the provost Jakob Rosolenz. This reorganized the monastery and began with the expansion of the then neglected church: it was enlarged in 1605-1629 and later received a Baroque interior with rich stucco decorations. During this period, the main entrance of the church, which until then was located on the west side between the towers, moved to the east side, in the courtyard of the former monastery. Since then, there is no portal between the towers, but only an unadorned apse without windows and without entrance. The church was built around 1600, after the demolition of the former church of St. James in the Stainz market also the parish church of Stainz. Further expansion and expansion of the monastery were carried out in 1667-1683 under the director Georg Jöchlinger and in 1683-1704 under the director Johann Bernhard von Paumgarten. The rich stucco and fresco decoration of the church date back to 1680.
Under the emperor Joseph II in 1785 the Augustinerchorherrenstift was repealed. Archduke Johann, son of Emperor Leopold II, acquired dominion in 1840. After his death, Stainz Castle remained on the family estate of his descendants, the Count of Merano.
In addition to the owners' living spaces, there is the castle, the hunting museum and the agricultural museum, both belonging to the Styrian Joanneum Universal Museum. The focus of the collection is on rural work equipment and on domestic effects in the countryside. The exhibition shows the different branches of agriculture. On 16 September 2006 the hunting museum was opened, also belonging to the Joanneum. Parts of the castle, such as the castle courtyard, the castle cellar, the arcades and the castle terrace are also for rent for events.