Karthauserhof Library Collection #1

Karthäuserhof is one of the great estates of Germany, with a complex and storied history that dates back centuries. Carthusian monks founded the property, a Hof, or working farm, in 1335, making it one of the oldest estates in Europe (the 8th oldest in the world, according to them). Recent findings, dating back to Roman times, show that a settlement with viticulture likely existed at Karthäuserhof even before the establishment of the monastery. Much like its neighbor, Maximin Grünhaus, wine was made and consumed by the monks continually for almost 500 years. Following secularization under Napoleon, Karthäuserhof was auctioned off in Paris in 1811. Valentin Leonardy, a Francophile, bought the estate and the property has been in the same family since, first as the Rautenstrauchs, then as the Tyrells and now as the Behler family.