The family Pouilly gets its beginnings from the Baron Pouilly of Stenay on the river Meuse in the Lorraine region.

Albert-Louis de Pouilly (1731 – 1795) with his wife Marie-Antoinette, born de Custine (1746 – 1800) together with their children leave France after the French revolution (1790).  His sons Albert (1775 – 1799, fell in battle in Italy) and Emmanuel (1777 – 1852) take the name Mensdorff (from a village in the county of Roussy in Luxemburg).  In 1818 in Austria the family was bestowed with the title Count and in 1839 the title was given Czech recognition.

In 1804 Emmanuel Mensdorff-Pouilly married Sophie, Princess von Sax-Coburg-Saalfeld (1778 – 1835).  In 1838 Emmanuel Mensdorff-Pouilly purchased the dominion and castle Preitenstein, which today is known as Castle Nectiny and is located in the western part of the Czech Republic.  Emmanuel markedly fixed and improved the estate and this estate stayed in the family’s possession until 1945.  His son Alfons Friedrich Count Mensdorff-Pouilly (1810 – 1894) established his main seat at Castle Nectiny and later in the years 1855 – 1858 began to rebuild the castle in Neo- Gothic style.  The family crypt, built in 1858 in Roman style, is located in the area of the castle.  The castle is located in a park with a very large pond.  In 1964 the castle burnt and up till 1970 was rebuilt for the purposes of an agricultural school.

In 1843 Alfons Friedrich married the heiress of the Boskovice domain, Terezie Rosou Frantiska von Dietrichstein (1823 – 1856).  In 1857 in Boskovice in Moravia, Alfons Friedrich established a convent for the Sisters of Mercy and in 1873 on the Bela River he had a chapel built.  In 1862 he married for the second time to Maria Countess von Lamberg (1833 – 1876).  After some time Alfons Friedrich became the mayor of Boskovice.  He is buried in the family crypt.

Possession of the dominion then came into the hands of Alfons Vladimir Count Mensdorff-Pouilly (1864 – 1935), who married Ida Countess Paar (1867 – 1945).  He was also the mayor of Boskovice and because of his immense help a secondary school was built in Boskovice.

Alfons Karel Mensdorff-Pouilly (1891 – 1973) later inherited all holdings of the Boskovice domain and all other holdings from his father Alfons Vladimir.  In 1923, in Zdounkach, he married Marie Countess Strachwitz (1901 – 1971).  In 1942 the domain fell under German enforced control which lasted till 1945 when the war and German occupation ended.  Alfons Karel was, for some time, held by the Gestapo.

In 1948 the entire estate was placed under national authority and from June 1950 – March 1951 Alfons Karel was interned in a forced labour camp in Hodonin near Kunstat.  In 1952 all holdings of the family were confiscated.  After nationalization of the estate Alfons Karel and his family were allowed to use only 3 rooms in the southeast wing of the chateau.  After his death in 1973 his son Hugo (born 1929) was forced to surrender the apartment to the then Central Regional State Administration of Historical and Natural Objects in Brno.

On the basis of restitutional statutes a majority of the estate was returned to the sons and daughter of Alfons Karel and Maria Mensdorff-Pouilly.

The motto of the Mensdorff-Pouilly family is:

“Fortitudinae et Caritatae”, English: “Fortitude and Charity”

The family symbol is a blue lion with red claws on a silver shield and banner with the words: 

“Sans Varier”, English:  “Without Variation”.