Castles in Vienna

Schloss Belvedere in Vienna, Austria

Vienna is not only the capital city of Austria but also was the capital of the former Austro-Hungarian monarchy until 1918. Therefore a lot of nobility owned a ‘home’ in Vienna generally called Palais (Palace).

Castles in Upper Austria

View of Linzer Schloss from Nibelungenbrücke

The Austrian state Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) offers a lot of palaces (Schloss) and a smaller sample of castles (Burg). Some palaces even offer a moat (Wasserschloss). Oberösterreich is divided into three statutory cities (Statutarstadt) and 15 political districts (Bezirk).

Castles in Lower Austria

Dog lady at Schallaburg Palace, Austria

Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) is an Austrian state in the north-eastern part of Austria. It is divided into four statutory cities (Statutarstadt) and 21 districts (Bezirk). The landscape is dotted with strong hilltop castles (Burg) and castle ruins (Burgruine) as well as luxurious palaces (Schloss) in the style of Renaissance or even Tudor.

Castles in Carinthia

View of Burg Niederfalkenstein from railway bridge

The Austrian state Carinthia (Kärnten) is situated in the south of Austria. It offers spectacular hill top castles (Burg) like Hochosterwitz and lovely Renaissance palaces (Schloss) like Schloss Porcia. Many of them, e.g. that castle depicted above, can be seen on train journeys.

Castles in Styria

Front view of Schloss Kornberg

Styria offers a lot of castles (Burg) as there was a need for defense against Ottomans and Hungarians in earlier times. Besides big fortresses like Riegersburg and town fortifications like in Radkersburg there are also a lot of palaces (Schloss) with lovely Renaissance courts.

Castles in Bezirk Liezen

Strechau Castle in Styria, Austria

Liezen is a district (Bezirk) in the north-west of the Austrian state Styria. The landscape is generally mountainous divided by several valleys. The biggest valley is named Ennstal. Some palaces (Schloss) are used as hotels, hostels or museums now. The biggest castle (Burg) is called Strechau, which is known as the second largest castle of Styria.

Castles in Burgenland

Schloss Esterházy in Eisenstadt, Austria

Burgenland is the youngest state of Austria. Though ‘Burgen’ is the German term for castles the name of this state originates to several cities whose names end with ‘-burg’. Burgenland ist divided into nine political districts (Bezirk) and two statutory cities (Statutarstadt)