Greiffenegg

The word rings a bell with many of my American readers. For them, the Schlössle, Toni's place, is known for its hospitality combined with a fantastic view of Freiburg.

A weird view from the Greiffenegg-Schlössle on to Freiburg in 1830.
The Münster church is in the wrong position.

There is no entry for Greiffenegg in the English Wikipedia, but there are three articles in the German version, two of them initiated by Red Baron. In addition to the Schlössle, you will find an entry for Hermann von Greiffenegg, who had the Schlössle built, and for his son Hermann Gottlob, who lived in the building following his retirement from Austrian service.

Recently an exhibition opened in Freiburg's Augustinermuseum titled Greiffenegg and Ramberg dedicated to the friendship between Hermann Gottlob and Johann Heinrich. The two men met in 1819 when Greiffenegg junior was the Austrian ambassador to the Kingdom of Hanover.

Catalog of the exhibition at the Augustinermuseum

Let us start from the beginning. Here is a painting of Hermann Greiffenegg, the last Austrian governor in Breisgau, before the region was annexed by Baden on Napoleon's order.

Hermann von Greiffenegg in 1822

The next painting shows Hermann Gottlob von Greiffenegg-Wolffurt, the governor's son, at age 47. He had inherited his father's love for Austria and hated Napoleon.

Hermann Gottlob von Greiffenegg-Wolffurt in 1822

When in 1809, he fought the usurper with a band of guerrillas, he was severely wounded.

KK Oesterreichischer Oberst Greiffenegg-Wolffurt (1832).
Here the scar on his front due to his wound is clearly visible.

Later Hermann Gottlob served the Austrian government as charge d'affaires in Hanover. There the Royal Court Painter Rambach sketched him as a drunkard. The two friends lived through many other bold and illustrated adventures.

Ramberg and Greiffenegg pub crawling.

Slowly the Austrian government became fed up with Hermann Gottlob, and he was fed up with the cold climate in Germany's north. So they sent him to the south to some lost outposts of the Habsburg empire. In 1823 he became fortress governor in Osoppo near Friaul, nowadays Italy.

Der Commandant Greiffenegg Wolffurt Oberst
hunting scorpions on Osoppo in 1824 (with Greiffenegg's hand-written notes)

Although married, Hermann Gottlob started, as people spread, a ménage-à-trois with stepsisters ...

Agathe Mauch and ...

... Josephine Lang

The two ladies had all the money, and Greiffenegg lived on them. The three traveled a lot.

Agathe, Josephine und Hermann v. Greiffenegg Wolffurt
Strange memories of Venice 1826 (hand-written notes by Hermann Gottlieb).

In 1827 the Austrian government sent Hermann Gottlob to Zengg, a fortress at the Adriatic Sea in Croatia near the Turkish border.

KK Militaire Commando Zenng Comdt. Greiffenegg Wolffurt KK Oberst
an der Bosznischen Gränze (at the Bosnian border)

He did not feel well and, in 1831, raking with pain, finally was retired. Filled with bitterness against the Austrian administration, he moved with his two "wives" to Freiburg, where he lived at the Greiffenegg-Schlössle until 1840.

Hand-written sales offer of the Greiffenegg-Schlössle 1838

Due to the lack of money, he had to sell the Schlössle for 9750 guilders and lived until his death in 1847 with Agathe and Josephine in a rented apartment at Kaiserstraße, nowadays Kaiser-Josef-Straße.

Hermann Gottlob in 1840

Back to painter Johann Heinrich Ramberg. He was an early cartoonist illustrating everyday mishaps ...

Reise Unglück (travel accident) 1821

... and human, i.e., male weaknesses.

Die Kirschenleserin (cherry-picking girl) 1800
The innkeeper's naked daughter is picking cherries off the ground
with leering old men watching.

Here is some more:

1. Toni's art criticism of the cover drawing on the exhibition catalog shown above.
2. Schauen und Schlemmen (Looking and Feasting). Red Baron will eat K&K cuisine, e.g., Marillenknödel (apricot dumplings), on October 1.

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