Matzen Castle

Matzen Castle, locally known as Schloss or Burg Matzen, lies south of the town of Brixlegg, in the province of Tyrol in Austria.

This rock in the valley of the River Inn was already the site of a fortification in Roman times, called 'Masciacum', and protected a Roman road through the valley.

Matzen Castle was built during the 12th century and first mentioned in 1167 as a possession of the Knights of Freundsberg. During their ownership, until 1468 the castle underwent 2 Romanesque and one Gothic building periods. In 1410 it had been besieged by the forces of Duke Friedrich of Bavaria.

Several owners followed until 1521 when it went to the Fieger family. They rebuilt the castle from a military fortification into a residential castle, giving the castle its present appearance. After 1658 several other owners followed until it was sold to the Von Pfeiffersberg family in 1734. They were mostly absentee landlords living in Vienna and neglecting the castle. Apparently they fell into bad times because in 1776 they were put under legal restraint and an inventory of the castle was made up for an upcoming auction. They still owned Matzen Castle when it burned down and fell to ruin.

In 1873 it was sold to the Irish Frances (Fanny) Reade of Mount Heaton-Grohmann. She had Matzen Castle completely restored. Her son; William Adolf Baillie Grohman, inherited the castle. He was an author and friend of the American President Theodore Roosevelt, who stayed with him at the castle several times.

In 1957 the castle was sold by the Grohmans to the American architect Ernest J. Kump. His family sold it in 2008 to the present owners, who then extensively renovated the castle and turned it into a luxury hotel.

At present Matzen Castle is a hotel and can only be visited as a guest of that hotel. A very nice castle.

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