900-year-old castle where Mozart wrote “Requiem” is up for auction

Every now and again, a building comes up for sale that is so valuable for human history that it’s almost impossible to put a price on it. That is certainly the case of a 900-year-old Austrian castle, which will be put up for auction on December 1^st. Schloss Stuppach is not only almost a millennium old, it’s also the place where Mozart wrote the now world-famous “Requiem in D minor”.

In 1791, Count Franz Anton Walsegg commissioned the composer to write a piece of music in honour of his late wife, who had died in the castle a year earlier. However, it seemed like the building was cursed, as Mozart died before finishing the composition. His student, Franz Xaver Süssmayr, finished Requiem in D minor and delivered it to the count in 1792. In 1830, the manuscript was transferred to the Austrian National Library and, in 2001, it was insured for no less than 7.97 million dollars, making it one of the world’s most valuable manuscripts.

Of course, those who’d be interested in buying the castle want more than just a history lesson and, luckily, there’s more to Schloss Stuppach. The building dates back to 1130, was partly redesigned in the 15^th and 17^th centuries and lies close to the mountain town of Gloggnitz. The castle comes with a main building and several extras, all located in a 3.71-acre wooded park.

The main building alone spreads over four stories and counts about 50 rooms, including four bedrooms, three bathrooms, five half bathrooms, a cinema, a library and several entertainment rooms. The Requiem chapel, a dungeon and a jardinière are also located on the premises. The castle itself has already been renovated and decorated, the rest of the property might need a bit of work. There are already several business-oriented spaces arranged within the domain, as the current owners, Reinhard and Rita Zellinger, have put the castle on the map as “Mozart’s Last Castle”.

Bidding on the property opens on December 1^st and the castle will be sold to the highest bidder on the exclusive live auction in New York, on December 14^th. The property’s value is estimated between 3.95 and 9.95 million euros.