ENTREPRENEURS AND PATRONS OF THE ARTS ANDREAS HANITSCH AND THANI HUYNH WELCOME US TO THEIR RENOVATED CASTLE RICH IN HISTORY AND DESIGN

Düneck Castle near Hamburg house with a history - one that spans the Atlantic and features fabulous wealth, impossible love... and even a ghost.

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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.

'We set out to find a piano that would attract the best pianists to Düneck. This one featured in the Cate Blanchett movie Tár' Andreas

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."