Babenwohl Castle

Babenwohl Castle (formerly "Babenboll") of the Counts of Montfort-Bregenz was built in the second half of the 14th century. In the 16th century, the Lords of Villenbach expanded the castle. From 1591, the castle was owned by Weissenau Abbey near Ravensburg, and from 1602 to 1807, by Mehrerau Monastery. On February 11, 1854, Baron Ernest von Pöllnitz, originally from Würzburg, purchased the property. He had the small castle renovated and expanded with a stair tower by the Bregenz master builder Gabriel Mallaun. In the following years, the estate was inhabited by the Pöllnitz and Douglass families. The Bludenz writer Grete Gulbransson, who often stayed at Babenwohl in her youth, reported on life in this building in her novel "Geliebte Schatten" (Beloved Shadows).

In 1907, the monastery was built and expanded on the estate. The original building fabric of the former castle is still preserved in the south wing. In 1910/11, the library wing was built at a right angle to it, according to plans by the Swiss architect Adolf Gaudy (1872–1956).

Since 1985, the library has been housed in the former Benedictine Abbey of St. Gallus. In 1981, the monastery passed to the state of Vorarlberg, and since 1993, the former library of the Benedictine monastery of St. Gallusstift, the so-called "Dome Hall," has also been available. This was faithfully restored.