Schloss Bach

Tracing its history back to a medieval donjon, Bach House (Schloss Bach) was transformed into a Renaissance castle ensemble by Italian architects at the end of the 15th century. In 1890, a fire destroyed most of the adjacent buildings.

The remaining manor, largely abandoned due to frequently-changing ownership over the last century, was een acquired by the present owners in the mid-1990s. When visiting for the first time, they discovered wall paintings with armorial bearings of their ancestry–the owners of Bach House before 1700. The House was void of any historic furniture, but it contained notable inside decorations such as coffered ceilings with wood engravings and a mural painting with musicians and gagliarda dancers, both dated early 16th century, which could be restored.

After extensive renovation according to cultural heritage protection guidelines, Bach is now privately used, and for more than 20 years it has also opened for local events, postgraduate and scientific conferences as well as cultural (musical) activities. The only adjacent building was adapted for small art exhibitions and is also used as a comfortable guest house.

Since 2007, the Carinthian Dialogues–a sociopolitical symposium with prominent speakers and discutants–has been organized at Bach House every year at a summer weekend (www.carinthische-dialoge.at). The Dialogues are an official part of the Carinthian Summer Festival (www.carinthischersommer.at).
Bach House is located at a small, quiet lake in the Carinthian subalpine lakes region which offers many options for water- and mountain sport, and cultural activities as well (e.g. Carinthian Summer Music Festival).