Burg Forchtenstein

About the museum

The castle was built around 1300, when the Counts of Mattersdorf, having lost their ancestral seat, built a new fortress on a rock above the Wulka valley; their coat of arms can still be seen in the keep today. After the family died out in the 15th century, the castle belonged to the Habsburgs for about 170 years, who pledged it as security.

In 1622 Nikolaus Esterházy received the lordship of Forchtenstein as a pledge, and in 1626 it passed into his hereditary possession. Under him, bastions, a kitchen, a chapel and new living quarters were built. His son Paul I had the upper castle extended in the second half of the 17th century and furnished with wall paintings, portals, an equestrian statue and a crocodile more than two metres long as symbols of rank and power.

After 1713 the fortress served as the family's treasury and arms depot, as well as the seat of the treasury and archive. Since the Congress of Vienna it has counted among the first museums in the Habsburg Empire. Today the Esterhazy Betriebe operate the castle; the castle ticket opens exhibitions with ancestral portraits, cabinet-of-curiosities pieces and Ottoman war booty, while the armoury and treasury are shown on guided tours. The castle kitchen, bakery, cannon cellar and the well, some 50 metres deep, are also part of the tour.

Highlights

• Historic armoury with weapons and equipment from the 16th and 17th centuries
• Esterházy treasury with cabinet-of-curiosities rarities (guided tour only)
• Ottoman war booty from the time of the Turkish Wars
• Ancestral gallery and portraits of the Esterházy family
• Castle well some 50 metres deep, castle kitchen and bakery

Permanent exhibitions

• Helden, Schätze, Beutestücke – Highlights from the collections of Prince Paul I: ancestral portraits, treasures, mementos and trophies from the Turkish Wars, open to visit freely with the castle ticket.
• Granaten, Fahnen, Grenadiere – Zeughaus – Muskets, suits of armour, polearms, cannons and workshop pieces from weapons production spanning more than four centuries in the historic armoury, guided tour only.
• Esterházy Schatzkammer – Rarities and masterpieces from the princely cabinet of art and curiosities, shown on special guided tours.

Operated by

Esterhazy Betriebe AG (Esterhazy Privatstiftungen)

Admission & discounts

Free admission (castle ticket without guided tour or winter tour) with the Niederösterreich-CARD, Burgenland-CARD and Steiermark-CARD.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Because of its historic construction, the castle is not accessible. For wheelchair users there is a one-hour accessible guided tour (cannon corridor, courtyard, kitchen/bakery, outer bailey passage, armoury entrance, well, cannon cellar) – register when booking or on +43 2626 81212. Accessible toilet between the ticket shop and the Grenadier restaurant. Assistance dogs entered in the disability pass are permitted.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Kids’ birthday parties

Children's audio guide and a puzzle "sabretache" for the tour, family tours on changing themes (e.g. Family Dracula tour around the full moon, autumn and Christmas tours) and family weekends in summer. Children's birthday parties where the children celebrate as princes and princesses.

Getting there & parking

From Vienna via the A2/A3 and S31, exit Forchtenstein, then follow the signs to the castle. Bicycle racks in front of the castle and an e-bike charging station at the Grenadier restaurant.

Amenities & dining

• Restaurant

Grenadier restaurant at the castle.

Events & venue rental

• Spaces for rent
• Private parties
• Corporate events
• Weddings / ceremonies

Historic vaulted cellars and other rooms for events and weddings via central reservations (eventlocations@esterhazy.at).

Plan your visit