Early History
In 1780 Prince Dmitri Mikhailovich Galitzin, the Russian ambassador in Vienna, acquired forested real estate from Field Marshal Count Franz Moritz von Lacy, situated uphill of what was then the village of Ottakring. He ordered a small Jagdschloss erected which soon became famous for its social events. By 1824, when the building was already in disrepair, ownership of the estate had passed on to Duke Julius de Montléart (of French nobility) and his wife Maria Christine. In 1838 the castle was expanded by adding two side wings.
When Julius' son, Duke Moritz de Montléart, acquired the property after considerable legal battles he gave it to his wife Wilhelmine (née von Arnold) and named the castle "Wilhelminenberg." Upon their deaths in 1887 and 1895, respectively both were interred in a small mausoleum which was built in the "neo-gothic" style close to the castle. Because of her generosity towards the poor, Wilhelmine Montléart became known as the "Angel of Ottakring." In 1895 Wilhelmine's grandson, Archduke Rainer Ferdinand of Austria inherited the estate.
Read more about this topic: Schloss Wilhelminenberg
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