Copperplate etching printed with oil based ink on BFK rag paper. 6" x 9". Edition of 3. Signed, numbered and dated.
The Schönbühel Castle
is over 1000 years old and was the property of the Bishops of Passau. The
castle is known as the "Watchman of the Wachau".
The castle is built on rock approximately 40 metres above
the level of the river Danube. A Roman fortress may have stood there before. The
castle was begun in the early 12th century by Marchwardus de Schoenbuchele as a
defensive fortress. When his descendant Ulrich von Schonpihel died at the
beginning of the 14th century, the family was extinguished. The castle was
briefly owned by Conrad von Eisenbeutel, and then by the Abbey of Melk.
In 1396 it was sold to the brothers Caspar and Gundaker von Starhemberg.
It remained in the Starhemberg family for more than 400 years, but fell into
disrepair.
