| The Schloss Emslieb is a manor at the Hellbrunner Allee in Salzburg, not far from Hellbrunn Palace. It is private property of the art expert and galerist Thaddaeus Ropac and not open to the general public; however, the villa is clearly visible from the Hellbrunner Allee itself.
Schloss Emslieb was built in 1618, so shortly after Schloss Hellbrunn, for Hannibal von Hohenems, nephew of Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus von Hohenems. Note the coat of arms of the Hohenems family above the entrance and the coat of arms of Markus Sittikus at the balcony.
Schloss Emslieb drew direct inspiration from Italian villas of its time; in fact, it is a miniature version of the Pallazio Gallio in Gravedona, Italy. In turn, the Kronengrotte grotto at the Trick Fountains of Hellbrunn Palace is a miniature version of Schloss Emslieb. Games like this are typical for the playful aspects of the Baroque age, and since Hellbrunn was a leisure castle, it is a very playful place.
Schloss Emslieb after Markus Sittikus
Prince Archbishop Markus Sittikus died in 1619 - he was the main benefactor of his nephew Hannibal, who was not very popular in Salzburg. Hannibal left soon after his uncle′s death and the new Prince Archbishop, Paris Lodron became the new owner of Schloss Emslieb. He gave the palace to his counsellor Thomas Perger, who was knighted in 1620. The Perger family owned Schloss Emslieb until 1710. The Knights von Grimming owned the palace until 1778, then the Bishop of Chiemsee (who also built nearby Schloss Anif).
In 1797, Princess Ernestine von Esterhazy purchased the property and owned it until 1811. After the Napoleonic Wars saw the looting and then secularisation of Salzburg, the Esterhazys sold Schloss Emslieb again and the rate at which owners changed accelerated and the building was altered repeatedly. Today, the original Baroque design has changed rather significantly.
The formal garden of Schloss Emslieb was characterised by canals, flower beds and ponds. Some of the ponds are preserved in a more natural state, but the Baroque appearance of the garden has been lost. A black swimming pool of obsidian (natural glass) was added recently by Thaddaeus Ropac.
The Meierhof of Schloss Emslieb (a Meierhof is the main administrative building of a palace) has been used independently from Schloss Elmslieb since the 1930ies. Its current appearance dates back to 1874, even though the building has been adapted repeatedly since then |