The Anif Palace (Schloss Anif), also known as the Anif Water Palace, is located next to an artificial pond in Anif, at the southern end of Salzburg, Austria. The palace was once the seat of the Chiemsee bishops, and was subsequently used as a court until the 19th century. It was remodeled between 1838 and 1848 in a neo-Gothic style. Anif is most famous for its use in several films, including Frederick Forsyth's The Sound of Music, The Great Race and The Odessa File.
Schloss Anif History
Its origins cannot be dated exactly, but there is a document from around 1520 that shows the existence of a palace called Oberweiher in this place. Its owner was the bailiff of the Lienhart Praunecker domain directory.
Since 1530 the water palace has been regularly mentioned as a fiefdom given by the respective archbishop of Salzburg. In this way it was donated to the bishops of Chiemsee after a restoration by Johann Ernst von Thun in 1693; from that moment on the bishops used it as a summer residence.
When Salzburg fell to Austria in 1806, the palace and pond became public property. Although the building has since been rented out, the respective users have not undertaken any noteworthy reconstruction or restoration work.
This changed when the property was sold to Count Alois Arco-Stepperg in 1837. Between 1838 and 1848 the Anif Palace rebuilt the Anif Palace in a new romanticizing Gothic style and gave it its present appearance. Until that time, the palace consisted simply of a simple four-story dwelling and a two-story building connected to a chapel.
After the Count's death in 1891, the property passed to his closest relative, Sophie, who was married to Count Ernst von Moy de Sons; the palace thus ended up in the hands of his old French noble family.
In 1918, the palace attracted public attention when King Ludwig III of Bavaria and his family and entourage fled to escape the November Revolution. With the Declaration of Anif of 13 November 1918, Louis III refused to abdicate; however, he released all Bavarian government officials, soldiers and officers from their oath because he was unable to continue the government.
During World War II, German Wehrmacht units were housed in the palace, followed by American units in 1945.
In October 2001 the palace and its owner Johannes Count von Moy de Sons made headlines when it was revealed that some of the furniture, which had been placed under historical conservation status as an ensemble with the palace, had been offered for sale. at Sotheby's in Amsterdam. Some of the pieces were returned to Austria and are now partially visible in the Carolino Augusteum Museum in Salzburg.
The Anif Palace is still privately owned by the von Moy family, who basically restored it between 1995 and 2000.