Schloss Vollrads
One of my favorite castles in the Rheingau: Schloss Vollrads in Winkel. The tower you see on the right is standing in the middle of a lake.Unfortunately, the castle has a sad story connected to it. The last owner, Count Erwein Matuschka-Greiffenclau inherited the property from his family in 1975. The castle and the connected winery had already been deep in debt which had been hard to lower. In 1997, when the bank decided not to extent the credit, he committed suicide since he couldn't stand the shame of loosing the family property.
Needless to say, that it had been a big story in the area. Especially since he had been quite popular - he was president of the "Deutscher Weinbauverband" (German Alliance of Winegrowers) at that time.
posted by Nicola @ 9:20 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
Tragic story. Wish you had a close up/zoom or a different perspective on the castle. Nice shot of the castle.
I'll have some closer photos coming up soon. Thanks for your comment!
ah this was a heart breaker. hm sad.
what a tragic story behind this wonderful place and is it vacant or has a new owner?
Sad story but beautiful photo!
amongst other things, Germany seems to be known for its castles. an interesting but sad story.
other than taking great pictures u also make a great tour guide. keep it coming!
nice shot...i like the wineyard in the forground, beautiful landscape but sad story:-)
Nice shot, but I especially enjoyed reading the story that goes along with it, as I do with all of your posts.
Such a sad tale, but a beautiful photo. Love the vineyard in the foreground.
Can you believe it, I grew up in that region and was never there?? This will definitely go on my list to do next time when I visit the Rheingau!! Thanks for posting this.
sad story!! We tend to just appreciate and dream of living in such a grandioce place without really thinking about the cost of managing it!! Here in Jpan, they have an " inheritance tax " that are so outrageous that some people who inherited property have to sell part of it in order to pay the tax. I dont really get it! Of course if its land or house, you are going to pay the yearly tax,I knoe that but come on. a huge tax upon receiving your inheritance!! I dont know about other countries, is it the same everywhere?? Im baffled!
Thank you for all the information about your photos. Its a very sad story but the scenery is very nice and the story makes it seem like I am actually visiting it.
I remember this story. Very sad!
What a landscape!
Thank you all for your comments. It is a tragic story, that's true.
Fotoaddict - The castle now is owned by the bank. The rented out a part of it.
dejy77 - thank you! I'm having fun being the tour guide at the moment :).
gudl - yes, definitely visit next time you're here!
midnitebara - yes, here we have that inheritance tax as well. I guess that added to all of it.
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