Top 4 Castles around Sankt Gilgen

Great well-preserved castle

The castle's origins date back to a medieval fortress, first documented in 1323. Around 1565, it was converted into a court of law, but over time, its importance declined and it was already uninhabited by 1608. After the court's seat was relocated to St. Gilgen in 1703, the complex gradually fell into disrepair, and by 1811, large parts had been demolished or used as building material. In 1817, Field Marshal Carl Philipp von Wrede acquired the remains of the castle, and his son, Karl Theodor von Wrede, had a neo-Gothic palace built starting in 1843. Four octagonal towers, pointed arch windows, and a crenellated parapet were added, giving the current building its characteristic appearance. From 1880 onward, the castle changed hands several times, including Princess Franziska von Liechtenstein and later Demeter von Frank. Today, Hüttenstein Castle is owned by a private foundation and is not open to the public. The entire grounds, including the adjacent Krottensee lake, are used for private purposes. Visitors can only view the castle from the outside as part of cycling tours in the region.

A detour to the ruins is definitely worth it. :)

A beautiful, well-kept castle

Mondsee Castle was and is a lot. Founded as a monastery, it was converted into a castle, today it is a museum and hotel, but also still a church worth seeing. Definitely worth a visit. If you want to learn more about the history, visit the monastery museum, which is part of the Mondsee local history museum.

The former Benedictine monastery was founded in 748 by the Bavarian Duke Odilo and dissolved in the course of the Josephine church reform in 1791. In 1809, Emperor Napoleon handed over the monastery building and its goods to the Bavarian Field Marshal Carl Philipp von Wrede, who converted it into a castle.

The area originally belonged to the rule of Hüttenstein Castle, not far north on the Schaflingerhöhe. In the course of the 16th century, a separate nursing court was set up in Hüttenstein and in 1565 a separate building was built for the nursing judge. This nursing court included today's communities of St. Gilgen and Strobl, as well as Fuschl am See. As early as a report from 1577 it was mentioned that poorly installed eaves had caused damage and could endanger the roof. In 1608 it was said that the castle was uninhabited. In 1614, a cost estimate for repairing the damage was drawn up, which was then doubled when implemented. In 1657, too, damage had to be repaired after a severe flood. An archive was set up in 1672. The nurses lived here until 1703, when the nursing court was moved to St. Gilgen. In 1747 the castle was a brick house with four rooms, two chambers, a kitchen, a cellar and the prison. At that time the castle was inhabited by a woodworker. In 1747, Johann Elias Geyer suggested that the castle, which was useless for defensive purposes, be left to the court chamber, which is what happened. In 1794 the Court Chamber asked to be allowed to tear down the castle and use the stones for a new hammer mill in Abersee, which is what happened. The rest of the building was auctioned off in 1811 to the woodmaster Johann Radauer. In 1817, the Bavarian field marshal Prince Carl Philipp von Wrede (1767–1838) bought Hüttenstein, followed in 1838 by Karl Theodor von Wrede, who began remodeling and rebuilding Hüttenstein in the neo-Gothic style in 1843, giving it its current shape. In 1880, Princess Franziska Liechtenstein, née Chalupetzky, bought the castle. She was followed in 1884 by Demeter Ritter von Frank, general director of the Romanian National Bank. Other owners were Dr. Edmund von Frank (1908), Thea Urban-Emmerich, née Morawitz (1917), Huogo Carl and Hans Edgar Urban-Emmerich (1938), Hugo Carl Urban-Emmerich (1948), Katharina Wunschek-Dreher (1951) and Robert Wimmer ( 1982) (Wikipedia).

This little castle is enthroned very dominantly over the Krotensee.