Das Jesuitenschloss

Merzhausen, Germany, Germany

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Das Jesuitenschloss in Merzhausen, Germany, is a stately manor on the northern slope of Schönberg hill near Freiburg im Breisgau, offering sweeping views over the city, Kaiserstuhl, southern Black Forest, and even the Vosges mountains. Originally gifted to the Jesuits in 1635 by the influential Schnewlin-Bernlapp family—who taught at Freiburg University since 1620—the main building dates to around 1666 (though debated) and was expanded in the 1730s by architect Joseph Guldimann as a serene retreat called "Tusculum." After the Jesuit order's 1773 dissolution, it passed through noble families like Kageneck before the medieval-founded Heiliggeistspitalstiftung acquired it in 1898; today it houses their historic Stiftungsweingut winery with tasting rooms, event spaces, a renovated hall and park for celebrations, and formerly a restaurant.