Schloss Blühnbach

Schloss Blühnbach (Schloss Blühnbach) is a stately home in the Blühnbach valley in Werfen, Salzburg (state), Austria. Formerly, it was a hunting lodge of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg and Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, whose assassination in Sarajevo triggered World War I. The estate is privately owned and ‘hermetically closed’ to the public. Already in the Middle Ages, there was a hunting seat of the Salzburg Archbishops in the Blühnbach Valley. During the German Peasants' War of 1525/1526, the manor house was destroyed. However, it was soon restored afterwards. It was a modest building, primarily constructed from wood. Prince-Archbishop Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau (1559-1617) created a hunting lodge in stone between 1603 and 1608. The name of the architect is not known, but an attribution to the Italian Vincenzo Scamozzi from Vicenza could be defended, as he was working in Salzburg at the same time. Although some state that this is just speculation. Master builders involved were Ruep Eder, Andrä Mairer and Gabriël Prändtl. In 1604, a newly fitted roof collapsed under the snow load of the harsh winter and had to be renewed the next year. With the finalization of the stables, the castle was completed in 1608. However, the planned magnificent interior decoration was largely omitted, as Wolf Dietrich was disposed and his successor Prince-Archbishop Markus Sittich von Hohenems (1574-1619) was not fond of hunting. Instead, he preferred the pleasure gardens of Hellbrunn Palace. Blühnbach’s first heyday was under Prince-Archbishop Paris Lodron (1586-1653). Large hunting events were held in the valley. Also, he invited important guest such as Leopold V, Archduke of Austria (1586-1632) and Claudia de' Medici (1604-1648) to join the hunt events. In this period, a large stable was constructed to house the hunting dogs. From the 18th century, Schloss Blühnbach lost its attraction with the Prince-Archbishops due to its remote location. The hunting lodge in Weitwörth was much closer to Salzburg.