Freisitz Weinberg

The Freisitz Weinberg stands in Traundorf, a district of Gmunden on the Traunsee in Upper Austria. It began as a small noble estate outside the town’s jurisdiction, first mentioned in 1642 when Johann Georg Wankhammer sold it to Johann Baptist Fasolt of nearby Mühlgrub. The Kaschnitz family, a local noble line known since the 16th century, owned it from 1642 until 1784 and added their name to the estate. After a fire in 1775 the house was rebuilt and later passed through several owners, including Count Schmidegg. In 1913 Duke Ernst August of Cumberland bought the estate and converted it into a ducal residence. He lived there from 1919 until 1933 before returning to his family’s seat at Blankenburg in the Harz. The villa was demolished in 1972 and replaced by the Weinberghof, a district retirement home on Georgstrasse. The name ‘Weinberg’ recalls the vineyards that once covered the slopes nearby. Today the site is a quiet residential corner beside the main road into Gmunden. The modern building occupies the footprint of the old manor house, its plain façade giving little hint of the estate’s centuries of noble history. A short walk uphill along ‘Am Weinberg’ leads to the vineyard terraces that gave the place its name. From here there are views across the Traunsee to the mountains beyond, linking the quiet suburb with the grander scenery of the Salzkammergut.