Reifnitz Castle

Reifnitz Castle is a small castle near Reifnitz in the municipality of Maria Wörth, directly on the southern shore of Lake Wörthersee.

It was built in 1898 for Adolf Heinrich Bercht (a later mayor of Klagenfurt), according to plans by the Hamburg architect Professor Zenkonski. Since then, there have been several alterations and additions; on the rear side, the castle consists almost entirely of a glass facade. Most recently, it was purchased by the municipality of Maria Wörth and used as a gallery.

Sale to Magna

At the end of 2005, the castle and seven hectares of land were purchased by the automotive supplier Magna. The seller was the state of Carinthia through the Carinthian Tourism Holding. The purchase price was 6.4 million Euros. The negotiator for Magna was Mathias Reichhold.

Residents and citizen initiatives protested, believing that the castle and property were sold too cheaply (at 92 Euros per square meter). Furthermore, after the start of the sale, two hectares were re-zoned as building land/spa area, which means an increase in value. Moreover, the process was criticized as a clandestine operation (municipal council resolution December 22, 2004, 9 to 10 PM without citizen participation).

Magna plans to build a manager recreation center on the site, consisting of a three-and-a-half-story hotel complex with 275 beds and 14 freestanding lake villas, as well as other buildings and sports facilities. Critics consider this to be over-dimensioned.