Castle Map

Palace

Schloss Wasserhof

Austria · 16th century

Founded
c. 1550
Heritage status
Listed objects in Austria
Location
Krems
Coordinates
48.44127°, 15.62237°
Links
OpenStreetMap · Wikimedia Commons
Open on the map →Wikipedia ↗
Schloss Wasserhof in Austria
Photo: BSonne · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Description

Schloss Wasserhof is a privately owned building in Gneixendorf, near Krems an der Donau in Lower Austria. It is known particularly as the property in the early 19th century of Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven, brother of Ludwig van Beethoven; the composer stayed here at one time.

The earliest mention of the Gneixendorf estate is in 1141, when Otto von Machland, having no heirs, bequeathed the estate to Baumgartenberg Abbey. The present building dates from around 1550.

In 1819 Nikolaus Johann van Beethoven acquired the property.

In autumn 1826, his brother Ludwig van Beethoven visited him. During his stay the composer wrote the finale to his String Quartet Op. 130, the last music he completed. It was a replacement, composed at the suggestion of his publisher, of the Große Fuge, the original finale. He began the piece in September, and sent the manuscript to his publisher on 22 November 1826; he left Gneixendorf soon afterwards.

In recent years the building has been restored by the present owner, the architect Ernst Linsberger.

Text adapted from “Schloss Wasserhof” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

In the rankings

Schloss Wasserhof ranks #8,526 of 9,902 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #292 of the 316 mapped in Austria. Founded c. 1550, it is older than 37% of the atlas's dated landmarks, one of 933 atlas entries founded in the 16th century. 15 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is St. Pölten, 27 km away. See how Austria compares in the castle statistics.

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