Seeschloss Ort in Gmunden

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Lake view of Ort Castle in Gmunden, Austria

Seeschloss Ort impresses with its location on a tiny island in the Upper Austrian Traunsee Lake. The castle became known through a TV series and the mysterious disappearance of one of its owners. [German]

Archduke Johann Salvator

Archduke Johann Salvator of Austria was probably one of the most mysterious owners of the castle. His father ruled Tuscany as Grand Duke. However, in 1861, the Grand Duchy of Tuscany joined the Kingdom of Italy. The former ruler went into exile and acquired, among other properties, Seeschloss Ort.

Johann Salvator rejected courtly life and married Ludmilla “Milli” Stubel, a dancer at the Vienna Court Opera. During a cruise around Cape Horn, the couple’s tracks became lost. The former owner of Schloss Ort has been missing since then.

Austrian Romantic Road

The Austrian Romantic Road runs between Vienna and Salzburg. When designing the route, the founders wanted to make it possible to experience attractive landscapes and buildings away from the motorways. The Seeschloss Ort and the mountains of the Salzkammergut as a backdrop undoubtedly invite us to follow this road.

Landschloss Ort

Visitors reach Seeschloss Ort via a long wooden bridge. This bridge also forms the line of sight to Landschloss Ort. Historically, both castles form an ensemble. In earlier times, the outer bailey of the Seeschloss was located on the grounds of today’s Landschloss.

Schlosshotel Orth

TV viewers know the Seeschloss primarily as the setting for the Schlosshotel Orth series. This TV serial entertained with stories playing in a palace hotel named Orth. However, the castle never served as a hotel.

For many years you only found a restaurant there. I entered its rooms during the Upper Austrian State Exhibition 2008 for the first time. At that time, the castle housed an exhibition about the history of the Salzkammergut.

Sources / More info

  • Link Description of Seeschloss Ort on Wikipedia
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Categorized as Castles