The most beautiful castles in Austria

Everywhere in Austria it seems there are palaces, castles, forts, and ruins. Many of the castles were impressive structures built on the highest hills or mountains, while others were nestled in a forest of green trees. Visit with us the most majestic Austrian castles, imposing fortresses and grand palaces !

10.Eggenberg Palace

Eggenberg Palace is the most significant Baroque palace complex in Styria. With its preserved accouterments, the extensive scenic gardens as well as some additional collections from the Universalmuseum Joanneum housed in the palace and park, Schloss Eggenberg counts among the most valuable cultural assets of Austria.
The palace lies on the western edge of the Styrian capital of Graz in the Eggenberg district. With its construction and accouterment history, it exhibits the vicissitude and patronage of the one-time mightiest dynasty in Styria, the House of Eggenberg. In 2010, Schloss Eggenberg was recognized for its significance to cultural history in an expansion to the listing of the Graz Historic Old Town among UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.... view details

9.Franzensburg

The Franzensburg is a water castle built between 1801 and 1836 in the style of an old castle. The name comes from Emperor Franz, who built the castle on an artificial island next to the already existing Castle of Laxenburg.
The castle was designed as a museum and consists of two parts: Ritterburg and Knappenburg. With its recourse to medieval forms of construction, Franzensburg is a milestone on the way to historicism.
The castle and the surrounding castle grounds are part of a 250-hectare castle park, designed in the style of an English landscape garden in the late 18th century. Today the park is a popular tourist destination. Guided tours are offered in the castle and theaters are held in summer.... view details

8.Burg Clam

Burg Clam was built in 1149 by Otto von Machland who owned all of Upper Austria. At that time it was a fortress consisting of two towers over 30 meters high. These two impressive buildings, one round and one rectangular, still exist in the very same shape today.
During the middle ages the castle changed hands several times until in 1454 the forefathers of the counts of Clam arrived. During the 30 year-war the Clam family had their own private army to defend the castle. At the end of the war the castle was in a very bad condition.
It was Johann Gottfried of Clam who renovated the entire castle. He was able to transform the functional fortress into a comfortable castle as we see it today.... view details

7.Hochosterwitz Castle

Hochosterwitz Castle is considered to be one of Austria's most impressive medieval castles. The rock castle is one of the state's landmarks and a major tourist attraction.
The castle stands on a 172-metre high Dolomite rock near Sankt Georgen am Langsee and east of the town of Sankt Veit an der Glan, about 20 km away from the city of Klagenfurt. It can be seen from a distance of up to 30 kilometres on a clear day.
Some parts of the castle are open to the public every year from Easter to the end of October. Tourists are allowed to walk the 620-metre long pathway through the 14 gates up to the castle; each gate has a diagram of the defense mechanism used to seal that particular gate. The castle rooms ...... view details

6.Burg Kreuzenstein

Burg Kreuzenstein was constructed on the remains of an early medieval castle that had fallen into disrepair and was then demolished during the Thirty Years' War. Intended to be a family vault for the Wilczek family, it was rebuilt in the 19th century by Count Nepomuk Wilczek with money from the family's large Silesian coal mines.
Kreuzenstein is interesting in that it was constructed out of sections of medieval structures purchased by the family from all over Europe to form an authentic-looking castle. Thus, the castle can be considered both a 'neo-' and 'original' medieval structure.
The castle is sometimes used as a location for films. It is sometimes confused with the medieval castle Burg Liechtenstein, where the movie The Three Musketeers was filmed in 1993.... view details

5.Hohensalzburg Castle

Hohensalzburg Castle sits atop the 'Festungsberg', a small hill in the Austrian city of Salzburg. Erected at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg with a length of 250 m and a width of 150 m, it is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
The fortress consists of various wings and courtyard. The Prince-Bishop's apartments are located in the so-called high floor. These include the Golden Hall, richly decorated which indicates that the fortress served the archbishops not only as a refuge in times of crisis, but frequently also as a residence, as well as the Golden Chamber, the most magnificently furnished room of the princely chambers.
Hohensalzburg Castle was refurbished from the late 19th century onwards and became a major tourist ...... view details

4.Aggstein Castle

Aggstein Castle is a ruined castle on the right bank of the Danube in Wachau, Lower Austria. The castle ruins are situated at about 300 metres above the right bank of the Danube on an outcrop running from east to west. It is some 150 metres long and has a rock structure at both ends.
In the early 12th century, the time of the Kuenrings, the castle was besieged and destroyed at least twice. After the Ottomans burned it down in the 15th century, the castle was redesigned as a fort, equipped with embrasures for the artillery.
From 2003 to 2004 the Aggstein Castle Restoration project was set up. As part of a series of postage stamps featuring the landscapes of Austria, on 30 November 1973 the Austrian Postal Service issued a 5-Schilling definitive ...... view details

3.Hohenwerfen Castle

Hohenwerfen Castle stands high above the Austrian town of Werfen in the Salzach valley, approximately 40 kilometres south of Salzburg. The castle is surrounded by the Berchtesgaden Alps and the adjacent Tennengebirge mountain range. The fortification is a "sister" of Hohensalzburg Castle both dated from the 11th century.
Formerly the castle belonged to the Habsburg family of Austria. Currently, their relatives, The House of Sforza, Count Andreis, reside within it.
Nowadays the bastion functions as a museum. Among the numerous attractions offered by the fortress are guided tours showing its extensive weapons collection, the historical Salzburg Falconry with the falconry museum as well as a fortress tavern. The historic Falconry Centre is a special attraction, offering daily flight demonstrations using various birds of prey, including eagles, falcons, ...... view details

2.Schloss Ort

Schloss Ort is an Austrian castle situated in the Traunsee lake, in Gmunden, 19 kilometres from Vocklabruck, the gate to the resort area of Salzkammergut.
The castle was founded around 1080 by Hartnidus of Ort, and improvements continued to be made into the thirteenth century. In 1483, Schloss Ort passed to Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor.
At present the castle is being used for a study center of the Federal Ministry for Land and Forestry.... view details

1.Burg Rappottenstein

Burg Rappottenstein is a medieval castle located in the north-west part of Lower Austria. The hill-castle was never conquered and is therefore one of the best preserved castles in Austria.
A TV show featured on a German channel, showed how people lived in a castle in the Middle Ages, based on the inner life of Rappottenstein Castle.... view details

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