Düneck Castle near Hamburg can truly be described as a house with a history – one that spans the Atlantic and features fabulous wealth, impossible love… and even a ghost.
Built in 1871 for the cosmopolitan New York Lienau family, the Neo-Gothic pile has, a century and a half later, passed through many hands, during which, owner Andreas Hanitsch confides: "The walls of this magical place have seen everything."
However, by the time Andreas, 61, and his wife Thani Huynh, 44, discovered it three years ago, the only residents were local wildlife Scores of deer and rabbits roamed the grounds, while the house had been taken over by "a very fat black cat and a huge owl who’d nested in the facade."
For the couple, who are both entrepreneurs and patrons of the arts, the ambience proved irresistible. Since acquiring Düneck, they have entered joyfully into its eclectic spirit, restoring it to all its turreted former glory while also giving the interior a stunning contemporary makeover, as we see here.
Thani, what can you tell us about the architecture?
"Detlef Lienau, one of the great US architects of the era, designed it for his brother Michael, who wanted a splendid mansion back in Germany, where the Lienau family originated.
"It’s quite unusual, combining French château style with north German red bricks, Danish carved gables and stained-glass windows."
The interior design is a wonderful mix of styles and materials, too...
"We travelled around Europe from Venice to Paris and Berlin buying furniture, objects and art. From Britain, we bought wallpaper and even a classic Bentley Azure convertible, so we can drive in style."
Your background is in fashion – can you tell us something about that?
"My parents came to Germany from Vietnam, and in the 1990s, I became one of the first Asian models to appear in German advertising. I invested the money I made from modelling in education, studying for two MBAs.
"It also helped shape my sense of style: I like to switch between vintage clothes, exciting young brands and traditional Vietnamese dress."
How did you and Andreas meet?
"It was at the wedding of his eldest son Niklas, a friend of mine from business school. We moved in together a year after that."
You and Andreas share a passion for architecture and the arts...
"We do. Our first home was a 19th-century water pumping station in Hamburg, which he’d converted into a lively little community for ten families and a venue for exhibitions, concerts and film shoots."
Tell us about your personal project, Sisterhood Society...
"I organise events that bring together diverse groups of women who are all committed to helping underprivileged people. Along with businesswomen, the guests include gallery owners, film-makers, models, bankers and chefs from Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East, as well as Europe."
Andreas, people also flock to the varied arts events you hold here...
"We’ve had classical music, ballet, hip-hop and, last summer, an exhibition of around 20 painters and sculptors. We enjoy all of it."
Naturally, the focal point of your living room is a grand piano. Is the instrument vintage?
"There was a Steinway piano here at the castle when we bought it, but we discovered that it was a fake. So we set out to find a real one that would not only look great, but also attract the best pianists to Düneck.
"We managed to convince some friends at Hamburg’s grand piano factory, Klangmanufaktur, to sell us their family’s own 1913 instrument. It’s perfect – so much so that it featured in the recent Cate Blanchett movie Tár."
This castle has been the setting for some strange stories...
"In a century and a half, the walls of this magical place have seen everything. They witnessed the happy family life of the cosmopolitan Lienaus – Michael, a wealthy New York wine merchant, and his wife Sarah, who was so generous that she’s said to have given away jewellery to strangers in the street.
"In a century and a half, the walls of this magical place have seen everything.
"But there has been tragedy here, too. In the 1880s, a teenage maid named Meta was involved in a secret love affair with a much older house guest.
"Seeing no future for their relationship, he shot himself, while his pregnant love drowned herself in a nearby river.
"Their tombstones stand in our garden, leaning a little towards each other...
"The 1901 novel Silkes Liebe by Carl Bulcke is based on Meta’s sad story."
Is it Meta who haunts the castle?
"No – the ghost is called Neck. Once I would have said that there are no such things as ghosts, but then I encountered this one and changed my mind.
"When we first arrived, he used to bang on the wooden trapdoor of the attic. Now we’re friends. I think he must approve of the way we’ve brought life back to his home."
MORE: US ambassador to Spain's spectacular Madrid apartment will take your breath away