Schloss Schönleiten

Schloss Schönleiten stands in Liefering, a district of Salzburg close to the Europark shopping centre and the Christian-Doppler-Klinik. Built in the 17th century by Domherren from Salzburg’s cathedral chapter, it replaced three farms and included a high wall with arched gates. The complex once housed a bird trap for catching thrushes and farm buildings run by a steward. Johann Dietrich Graf von Muggenthal, one of the founders, is still remembered by a carved cartouche on the tower. After passing through several noble hands, the estate reached Archbishop Max Gandolf von Kuenburg in the late 17th century. The property became known as the Heilmayergut after Kajetan and Magdalena Heilmayer bought it in 1806. In 1888 the Herz-Jesu-Missionare acquired the estate for 33 000 gulden and turned it into a mission house and school. The first mass was celebrated on 20 May 1888, marking the founding of the community. A Renaissance-style church and a school building were added in the following decades, while the order trained young men for mission work abroad. During the Second World War the buildings were altered by the Nazis and later used to house Ukrainian refugees. Today the site serves as a mission house and private grammar school with boarding facilities. A modern church replaced the original chapel in 1967, and the old farmyard was rebuilt into an assembly hall. The garden front now leads through a new entrance, and the former stables have become an additional dormitory. The mission house also runs Bondeko, a national liaison office for co-operation with the developing world, while the school continues to educate pupils in Liefering.