Schloss Stainz
Encyclopedia
Schloss Stainz is a former monastery
of the Augustinian Canons in Stainz
in Styria, Austria
. Today the Baroque
complex belongs to the Counts of Meran and hosts two museum collections from the Universal Museum Joanneum.
founded by the Augustinian Canons in 1229 when Leutold I von Wildon, lord of the manor
of Stainz
, allowed a small church with a monastery attached to be established on the mountain where his castle stood. The monastery was settled by canons regular
from Seckau Priory.
The priory experienced its heyday during the early 16th century under provost
Jakob Roselenz (1596-1629), under whom the community was reorganised and the church, previously neglected, was enlarged. The interior was later refurbished in the Baroque
style with extensive stucco
decoration. The church organ
counts among the largest and most melodious in Styria and was restored in 1980.
The monastery was dissolved in 1785 as part of the rationalist reforms
of the Emperor Joseph II
. The church however remained in use.
In 1840 Archduke Johann, son of Leopold II
and an avid hunter, purchased the building complex from the town for the sum of 40,000 guilder
s for use as a hunting box, known thereafter as Schloss Stainz. Since his death in 1859, it has remained in the family estate of his descendants, the Counts of Meran.
In 2009 the Landwirtschaftsmuseum Schloss Stainz ("Museum of Agriculture and Forestry") also opened, displaying collections of rural Styrian folk culture
. The main focus of the exhibition is on the agricultural implements and the household effects of the Styrian countryside from the Stone Age
to the present. The exhibition displays objects related to the different branches of agriculture and husbandry and offers a fitting companion to the Hunting Museum.
In addition to the two permanent exhibitions of the Joanneum, areas of the castle, for example the courtyard, the cellar, the arcades and the terrace, are also rented out for private events.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of the Augustinian Canons in Stainz
Stainz
Stainz is a municipality in the district of Deutschlandsberg in Styria, Austria.-References:...
in Styria, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Today the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
complex belongs to the Counts of Meran and hosts two museum collections from the Universal Museum Joanneum.
History
Stainz Priory was a monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
founded by the Augustinian Canons in 1229 when Leutold I von Wildon, lord of the manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
of Stainz
Stainz
Stainz is a municipality in the district of Deutschlandsberg in Styria, Austria.-References:...
, allowed a small church with a monastery attached to be established on the mountain where his castle stood. The monastery was settled by canons regular
Canons Regular
Canons Regular are members of certain bodies of Canons living in community under the Augustinian Rule , and sharing their property in common...
from Seckau Priory.
The priory experienced its heyday during the early 16th century under provost
Provost (religion)
A provost is a senior official in a number of Christian churches.-Historical Development:The word praepositus was originally applied to any ecclesiastical ruler or dignitary...
Jakob Roselenz (1596-1629), under whom the community was reorganised and the church, previously neglected, was enlarged. The interior was later refurbished in the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style with extensive stucco
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
decoration. The church organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
counts among the largest and most melodious in Styria and was restored in 1980.
The monastery was dissolved in 1785 as part of the rationalist reforms
Josephinism
Josephinism is the term used to describe the domestic policies of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor . During the ten years in which Joseph was the sole ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy , he attempted to legislate a series of drastic reforms to remodel Austria in the form of the ideal Enlightened state...
of the Emperor Joseph II
Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor
Joseph II was Holy Roman Emperor from 1765 to 1790 and ruler of the Habsburg lands from 1780 to 1790. He was the eldest son of Empress Maria Theresa and her husband, Francis I...
. The church however remained in use.
In 1840 Archduke Johann, son of Leopold II
Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor
Leopold II , born Peter Leopold Joseph Anton Joachim Pius Gotthard, was Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary and Bohemia from 1790 to 1792, Archduke of Austria and Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1765 to 1790. He was a son of Emperor Francis I and his wife, Empress Maria Theresa...
and an avid hunter, purchased the building complex from the town for the sum of 40,000 guilder
Guilder
Guilder is the English translation of the Dutch gulden — from Old Dutch for 'golden'. The guilder originated as a gold coin but has been a common name for a silver or base metal coin for some centuries...
s for use as a hunting box, known thereafter as Schloss Stainz. Since his death in 1859, it has remained in the family estate of his descendants, the Counts of Meran.
Present day
Today, besides offering gardens and rooms to rent for engagements, the castle houses two collections from the Universal Museum Joanneum. On 16 September 2006 the Steirisches Jagdmuseum ("Styrian Hunting Museum") was opened. The interdisciplinary approach of this collection combines contemporary technology with historic equipment, weapons and specimens to explore the historical, sociological and anthropological, as well as the philosophical and ethical phenomena of the human practice of hunting in addition to wildlife ecology.In 2009 the Landwirtschaftsmuseum Schloss Stainz ("Museum of Agriculture and Forestry") also opened, displaying collections of rural Styrian folk culture
Folk culture
Folk culture refers to the lifestyle of a culture. Historically, handed down through oral tradition, it demonstrates the "old ways" over novelty and relates to a sense of community. Folk culture is quite often imbued with a sense of place...
. The main focus of the exhibition is on the agricultural implements and the household effects of the Styrian countryside from the Stone Age
Stone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
to the present. The exhibition displays objects related to the different branches of agriculture and husbandry and offers a fitting companion to the Hunting Museum.
In addition to the two permanent exhibitions of the Joanneum, areas of the castle, for example the courtyard, the cellar, the arcades and the terrace, are also rented out for private events.