Top 12 Castles around Draßmarkt

Beautiful old castle, worth stopping for

Beautiful to look at from the outside and from the inside

The Lockenhaus Castle, built around 1200 in the beautiful Geschriebenstein Nature Park, is considered the last true knight's castle in Austria today. Formerly inhabited by powerful noble families such as the Nádasdys, the historic defensive structure now delights young and old with exciting guided tours, robber baron feasts, and a huge bat colony. After a turbulent history of decay and rescue, the imposing masonry now serves as a cool event venue, museum, and hotel.

Documented as early as the 13th century, it experienced turbulent times as a Hungarian border fortress before being expanded to its characteristic form in the 16th and 17th centuries: Striking round towers with mighty conical roofs define its exterior today. In addition to the well-known festivals, the castle is also a venue for concerts, exhibitions, and seminars. Parts of the castle, along with the garden, can be rented for conferences, celebrations, and weddings. Guided tours are also possible by appointment.

The first castle was built in the 13th century as a reaction to the Hungarian invasions at the end of the early Middle Ages. It was largely destroyed during the Hungarian invasions in 1246 and 1260. The reconstruction partly has a castle character. In 1394, the lordship with all its accessories was bequeathed by the last Krumbacher, Hans von Krumbach, to Pilgrim III. von Puchheim, a maternal uncle of his, and his brothers, and remained in the possession of the Puchheims for over 200 years. In 1629, the lordship came into the possession of the Counts of Pálffy-Erdöd family. During the Second Siege of Vienna in 1683, Krumbach was besieged in vain by the Turks. After the revolutionary year of 1848, the serfdom relationship was abolished, thus the "Herrschaft Krumbach" came to an end. In 1875, the estates were sold by the Palffy family to the Wiener Neustadt lawyer Anton Riehl, after which there were frequent changes of ownership.

This building, constructed around 1770 using older components, is a good example of the numerous aristocratic country estates that were built in what was then western Hungary after the Turkish threat was averted. Nebersdorf Castle remained in the family's possession until 1939, when it was confiscated by the German authorities from its last representative, Count Ladislaus Niczky, and sold to the Heller industrial family in 1944. In 1952, they sold the castle and estate to the municipality of Nebersdorf. The municipality had the park's magnificent trees felled, the grounds divided into parcels, and sold to local residents. The castle was left to decay. In 1961, innkeeper Rudolf Golubits acquired the already very dilapidated building. He had its exterior restored starting in 1975. The ballroom was also restored to its former glory. The remaining interior rooms, which even housed livestock in the post-war period, were transformed into a tavern with the necessary ancillary rooms. Today, the restaurant is closed again, and the castle stands largely empty. However, it is in good condition and still belongs to Mr. Golubits.

Since 2020, it has been a private elite school (https://krumbach.school/de/). The annual tuition fee is at least €40,000.

There is a lot to discover. The entrance fee is worth it.