An ''Ansitz'' is a small residence designed for the

lower nobility The minor or petty nobility is the lower nobility classes. Finland Petty nobility in Finland is dated at least back to the 13th century and was formed by nobles around their strategic interests. The idea was more capable peasants with leader role ...

of the Germanic

Alpine region The main valleys of the Alps, orographically by drainage basin. Rhine basin (North Sea) High Rhine *Aare **Limmat ***Linth (Glarus) **** Lake Walen ***** Seeztal **** Klöntal **** Sernftal **Reuss ***Lake Lucerne ****Sarner Aa (Brünig Pass c ...

History

The concept of ''Ansitz'' dates back to the end of the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

up to the 19th century. Unlike castles, they were hardly fortified. They arose when medieval fortifications had lost their military purpose. Residences were designed mainly for the comfortable and prestigious living of their owners. An ''Ansitz'' was often extremely ornate in design and furnished to denote the status of its owner. The application of the word ''Ansitz'' to refer to a noble residence is hardly used today outside

South Tyrol South Tyrol ( , ; ; ), officially the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, is an autonomous administrative division, autonomous provinces of Italy, province in northern Italy. Together with Trentino, South Tyrol forms the autonomo ...

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, and

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. As of 2008, there are 200 ''Ansitze'' remaining in Austria.Andreas Weiss
''Begriffe, Bezeichnungen und Namen von Burgen, Schlössern, Ansitzen''
Salzburg, 12. December 2008, p. 5

References

{{European farmhouse types Buildings and structures by type Country houses House types Houses in Austria Houses in Italy Manor houses in Germany