The Liechtenstein Castle, located on the southern edge of the Vienna forest, home of the Prince of Liechtenstein family, is not only a museum in the traditional sense, rich in history, but also a very lively place, which attracts thousands of visitors each year from Worldwide. A wide range of guided tours accompany guests through the richly furnished rooms with antique furniture and ancient weapons, retracing 900 years of history.
Liechtenstein Castle History
The Liechtenstein castle, located on the southern edge of the Vienna forest, home of the Prince of Liechtenstein family, is not a museum in the traditional sense, rich in history, but also a very lively place, which attracts thousands of visitors each year from all over the world. In addition to substantial parts of the Romanesque castle of the year 1130 to make numerous furniture, such as weapons, furniture and ceiling with exposed beams, reliefs and chapel, as well as one of the most beautiful views of Vienna, the castle, an attractive cultural architecture all around 'year. The current castle was built in the restored 19th century Liechtenstein house and is still located on their property. He served nearly 200 years (1130-1295) as a temporary family residence and embodies a family history of 900 years. Furthermore, in the last decades of the 19th century, at the beginning of the 20th century it was used as a museum of the Castello family.
Finally, it is also a unique setting that has inspired many artists for centuries and inspired. In this spirit, the castle offers a wide range of guided tours in shape to invite you to discover the landmarks of the Vienna forest and its wide range of guided tours on a private visit.
Already in the 19th century the guides had already been offered by the Castle of Lichtenstein to Maria Grossenzersdorf. This tradition of over 100 years is the cornerstone of today's guided tours of the castle halls. Unlike before today, however, for most of the year, the castle can be visited and the doors are open to all the curious.
The castle administration would like to continue this tradition and invite visitors to discover the history of the princely house of Liechtenstein and the. Castle Fortress on one of the guided tours or on a thematic tour
Hugo of Liechtenstein built the castle between 1130 and 1135 which became the possession of the Stadeck family by 1295 through a marriage contract.
The castle often changed hands among the various royal families such as the dukes of Cilli and King Mattia Corvinius who guaranteed maintenance to Jan (Hans) Holuberzi. The houses of Khevenhiller and Aichelberg had owned the castle since 1592 including Prince Johann Josef the 1st of Liechtenstein, who bought the castle from Prince Poniantovsky and returned the ownership of the houses of Liechtenstein in 1807, which is still currant.
The main parts of the Romanesque castle, originating from the first phase of construction around 1130/1135, have still survived and can be visited. With this Romanesque settlement the castle today counts as one of the rare surviving Romanesque secular buildings of the 12th century in Europe.
From 1508 to 1588 the castle was occupied by the Tyrolean house of Freisleben. In 1529 the castle was initially destroyed by the Ottomans and rebuilt in 1533 - this led to the loss and sale of castle ownership in 1567.
The castle and the property came into the possession of the Duke of Khevenhiller between 1592 and 1664 during which the castle was extensively extended under the duke Franz Christoph Khevenhiller, baron in Aichelberg. In 1664 his family tree was drawn up in which the background consisted of a representation of the Liechtenstein castle.
Unfortunately, the castle was again largely destroyed by the Ottomans in 1683 which made it almost completely uninhabitable. The Gothic entrance was authorized for the use of the stables until it was raised to the ground in 1809.
In 1799 the Prince of Poniantovsky had already begun the renovation work in the Biedermeier-romantic-knight which was continued by Prince Johann Josef the 1st of Liechtenstein. It was only under Prince Johann Josef the 2nd of Liechtenstein that the castle was significantly brought into its state of currant. The copious Romanesque architecture saved was carefully expanded with artifacts from the princely collection.
The castle still counts as an important monument of the Middle Ages, as an example of building architectural castles with its proven majestic walls and towers, as well as with refined ornamentation and bears witness to the desire for self-representation of the 19th century Liechtenstein princes.