The division of Thomas Ignaz Baron Mauerburg’s estate around Ljutomer in 1688

Abstract

The Mauerburg family appeared in the Ljutomer area in the second half of the seventeenth century with the arrival of Dr Thomas Ignaz († 1688), who initially bore the family name Maurer. Apart from numerous estates, he also bought Branek Castle, which flourished under the new family. Thomas Ignaz bequeathed to his descendants a tremendous estate with a value estimated at 230,000 gulden at that time. The inherited property paved his successor’s way to becoming the lord of not only Branek Castle but also of the entire Ljutomer seigniory, including the market town of Ljutomer. This is also confirmed by The Land Register of Estates and Vineyard Taxes in the Wine-Growing Hills of Ormož–Ljutomer, which was compiled on the death of Baron Thomas Ignaz Mauerburg in 1688 and serves as an excellent source for understanding the division of immense inheritance between his descendants.