There are many beautiful castles in Austria. To be honest, the list is endless. Some of these are the must visit places in Austria.
Here are 20 Beautiful Castles in Austria–
Schloss Ort
Schloss Ort is picturesquely situated on a tiny island in the Traunsee lake in Gmunden. It is one of the oldest buildings in Salzkammergut. There are many interesting stories about those who resided in this place. The castle was founded around 1080 by Ritter Hartneid von Ort.
Website – Schloss Ort , Location – Gmunden
Riegersburg Castle
Riegersburg castle is owned by the royal family of Liechtenstein. It now hosts a museum and is a popular tourist attraction. The castle is built atop a hill which was once an active volcano. It is located in the Riegensburg town in Styria.
Website – Riegersburg Castle , Location – Riegersburg
Burg Kreuzenstein
Burg Kreuzenstein is located in the Loebendorf village in lower Austria. The castle was built in an interesting way. It was constructed out of sections of medieval structures and later extended to what it looks like today.
Website – Burg Kreuzenstein, Location – Loebendorf
Burg Hochosterwitz
Burg Hochosterwitz located in the Launsdorf village of Austria is said to be an inspiration for Sleeping Beauty. This castle is surely like a fairy tale. This is one of the oldest castles and was first mentioned in 860. It gained importance during the Turk invasion in the 12th and 13th century.
Website – Hochosterwitz , Location – Launsdorf
Hohensalzburg
Hohensalzburg stands high over the city of Salzburg and can be spotted easily from far away. It was built in 1077 by Archbishop Gebhard. It is the main tourist attraction in Salzburg. It is one of the most beautiful castles and the biggest fortification in Europe.
Website – Hohensalzburg , Location – Salzburg.
Franzensburg
Franzensburg castle was built in the 18th century in the Laxenburg region of Austria. This castle was named in the memory of the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, who died in 1835. The castle is built on an artificial island. The castle park and the museum are now open today as some busy tourist attractions.
Website – Franzensburg, Location – Laxenburg
Kufstein Fortress
The Kufstein Fortress is located in the town of Kufstein in Tyrol. The Kufstein region is also popular for various attractions and activities like winter sports, culinary walks, hiking and more.
Website – Kufstein Fortress, Location – Kufstein.
Hohenwerfen
Another magnificent castle is located in the small town of Werfen which is closer to Salzburg if you plan to visit it. Werfen in itself is so beautiful and has a lot of attractions around such as the Eisriesenwelt. The Hohenwerfen castle can be spotted from anywhere in Werfen. The fortification was built between 1075 and 1078. It is a medieval rock castle.
Facebook Page – Hohenwerfen, Location – Werfen.
Ambras Castle
Ambras Castle is located in the beautiful Innsbruck region of Austria. The castle was built by Archduke Ferdinand II. A visit to the Ambras castle would be a delight for all the art lovers out there. The gallery in this renaissance style castle has a collection of over 200 pieces of art work by the renowned.
Website – Ambras Castle, Location – Innsbruck.
Burg Freundsberg
Burg Freundsberg is another castle located in the Tyrol region. The castle is located in the southern outskirts of Schwaz. It was built in the year 1150 by the Lords of Freundsberg. After being a church for a few years and then a municipality, the castle was restored and turned into a museum in the 19th century.
Website – Burg Freundsberg , Location – Schwaz.
Heinfels Castle
This castle has been titled “Queen of Pustertal” due to it’s strategic location in the Hochpustertal valley. It was founded by the Huns. The castle was first mentioned in 1243. The castle was extended by the Counts of Görz and later passed on after the dynasty died down. The castle is currently under restoration.
Website – Heinfels Castle, Location – Heinfels.
Lichtenstein
This castle often had to be passed on between various royal families. It was built by the Hugo of Liechtenstein between 1130 and 1135. The castle is located in the village Maria Endersdorf near Vienna. Today the castle is a major tourist attraction and also a museum like most of the castles of that time.
Website – Lichtenstein Castle, Location – Maria Enzersdorf.
Tratsberg Castle
The Tratsberg castle is located in the Tirol region of Austria. This castle was built by the brothers Veit-Jakob and Simon Tänzl in the 15th century. It took a time span of 8 years to build this castle. Since then, the castle saw various owners.
Facebook Page – Tratsberg Castle, Location – Jenbach.
Forchtenstein Castle
The Lords of Mattersburg, who later named themselves Lords of Forchtenstein built this castle in the 15th century. It is located in Burgenland. The castle was later passed on to the House of Habsburg and leased to other owners as well. It was in 1622 that Nikolaus Esterházy was handed over the castle and he renovated the withering castle and his son extended it further.
Website – Forchtenstein Castle, Location – Forchtenstein.
Burg Clam
Burg Clam is an invincible fortress located in the Sperken region of Austria. It was the family home of the Counts of Clam since the 14th century. Because of the constant tension in the Clam village, the castle was in a very bad condition in the mid 17th century. Johann Gottfried renovated the fortress into a castle we see today.
Website – Burg Clam , Location – Sperken
Schloss Schönbrunn
The Schönbrunn Palace is located in the Hietzing region of Vienna. It was initially a hunting lodge but later turned into a summer residence of the Habsburg rulers. Schönbrunn got its name from a spring discovered by Emperor Matthias. The original site dates back to the 14th century.
Website – Schloss Schoenbrunn, Location – Vienna.
Schloss Esterhazy
Schloss Esterházy is a Baroque palace which was built by the Esterházy family in the 13th century. The Baroque castle was initially a medieval castle built for defense purposes but was transformed later. At the end of World War Two, the palace was accommodated with the Burgenland state government office and later a national court. The palace is now a tourist attraction and also hosts a museum.
Website – Schloss Esterhazy, Location – Eisenstadt.
Hofburg
Hofburg was the residence of the Austrian sovereigns for over 600 years. It was one of the most important centers of European history. The castle was originally built in the 13th century as a medieval fortified castle. It was later extended by every emperor who ruled there. Hofburg has 18 wings, 19 courtyards and 2,600 rooms in which nearly 5,000 people still work and live today.
Website – Hofburg, Location – Vienna.
Hermesvilla
It is said that Empress Elisabeth was an avid traveler because of which Emperor Francis Joseph gifted her this villa so that she would spend more time in Vienna. She once called her Villa a “Palace of Dreams”. Architect Carl von Hasenauer built the villa in a time span of five years. It is now an operational museum displaying the life of the emperor and empress.
Website – Hermesvilla, Location – Vienna.
Belvedere
Belvedere is located in Vienna. It was built as a summer retreat the for Prince Eugene of Savoy. There are two Baroque palaces in the park area. The construction of the main palace building was completed in the year 1723. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and hosts the Belvedere Museum.
Website – Belvedere, Location – Vienna.
If you are also visiting Germany, check out the top 15 spectacular castles in Germany.
