The old granary, the oldest part of the block of buildings of “am Orth“ manor, most likely dates back to the 14th century. The present form of the main house probably dates back to the beginning of the 1500s. The oldest date with the year 1524 is visible in a red chalk drawing in the heated parlor in the northern part of the house.
The typical vertical arrangement of rooms for winemaking and living in a building, characteristic for manors of the Unterland and Überetsch region, is very distinctive here. The entire ground floor contains rooms for winemaking. The floors above, with the generous living areas and the stately halls, are carried by four massive pillars in the cellar levels. Both of the upper floors are divided into two house halves. In the lower floor, excepting the two parlors, all rooms are vaulted.
In the Gothic parlor in the southern house half, the original beamed ceiling and the door from the 16th century with the ogee arch typical of the period remain. In this parlor stands an elegant “Sfruz” tiled stove – so called because its tiles are made from the nearby “Sfruz” clay – while a further stove of this type decorates the parlor in the northern half of the house. Two further paneled rooms in the southern half of the house and the stone framed door with its Gothic corbel arch in the lower hallway also deserve mention. The upper floor of the southern half of the house was later renovated in the Renaissance style. Stone-framed biforate windows decorate the upper hall, scored on the outer side with a sun symbol. The doors have artistically decorated fittings and locks; the open fireplace is still in place.
On the façade of the main house, you find decorative window grills and a balcony rail in Venetian style. On the underside of the balcony, a sun symbol, a simple mill and numbers are scored into the stone. The main entrance is reached by a double stair with a stone landing. The second entrance door is framed by a Gothic ogee arch.
The youngest addition is a barn building built under Anton Schweiggl, finished around 1896. With great attention to preserving the original building substance, “Am Orth” manor was carefully and fully restored from 2000-2012.
A distinct attraction is the so-called “shooting stand” not far from the main house. Originally, according to oral tradition, it was probably used as a drinking tower. Later, the second floor was extended to the north by a porch and the tower was used as a shooting stand. After the cemetery was built in 1839, the shooting stand was moved to the Schießstandweg and the former drinking tower was used as a house for the vineyard guard, the “Saltner”.
The most important changes in ownership: Egen Niclas around 1570, am Orth around 1594, Amorth von Orthenburg from 1758, von Wohlgemuth from 1780, Schweiggl from 1788.
The “Museum of People through Time” is located on the ground floors of the four buildings in the complex. (Guided tour Fridays at 10 a.m. or on request)