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

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

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 co ...

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 late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

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 it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

, and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. 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