Duino Castle

While not the wealthiest of the Thurn und Taxis line, Alexander and Marie supported artists and writers, including Bohemian-Austrian poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

While a guest of Princess Marie in early 1912, Rilke began to write his Duino Elegies, a collection of ten long, deeply philosophical and mystical poems which are considered to be his greatest work.

It remains with the family to this day with his great-grandson Prince Carlo Alessandro della Torre e Tasso, Duke of Castel Duino the current owner.

[1] While walking along the cliffs overlooking the Adriatic Sea near the castle, Rilke claimed to hear a voice calling to him speaking the words of the first line, Wer, wenn ich schriee, hörte mich denn aus der Engel Ordnungen?

[6] Rilke finished the work in Switzerland after a ten-year period where depression and an existential crisis rendered him unable to continue writing.