Z Uhorska na Moravu. Barónka Lujza Stillfriedová, rod. grófka Pálffyová (1857–1909)

The life of the baroness Louise Stillfried, née the countess Pálffy (1857–1909), was connected with especially three places: the Červený Kameň Castle, the Bratislava Town Palace and the Castle in Vizovice in Moravia. Whereas the first two residences belonged to her father, the count Stephen Pálffy (1828–1910), the castle in Vizovice was owned by her husband, the baron Rudolf Stillfried (1849–1921). The presented case study looks at the life of Louise in a synthesising way, analysing its major milestones and putting it into a broader historic and social contexts. It describes the life of a county daughter who married a baron at a relatively old age and fulfilled the mission to which she had been predetermined by the society of her time – she became a wife, a mother, and a lady of the house, i.e. she maintained her own household. Despite the modest source base on which her life could be explored, several so far unknown aspects of her life could be discovered. The text analyses Louise’s family background, her education and training, the background of her entry into marriage, and her social radii both in her orientation family and after her entry into marriage to the baron Stillfried. New knowledge has also been acquired by focusing on the relationship of the Stillfrieds from Vizovice to Bratislava where the family would spend the winter months.