Schloss Eckartsau

About the museum

The roots of Eckartsau go back to the 12th century, when a moated castle was built on the edge of the Danube floodplains. After several changes of ownership, the Bohemian court chancellor Franz Ferdinand Count Kinsky acquired the complex in 1720 and had it converted into a Baroque hunting lodge by 1732 to plans by Joseph Emanuel Fischer von Erlach. The banqueting hall with a ceiling fresco centred on the hunting goddess Diana and sculptures by Lorenzo Mattielli dates from this period.

In 1760 Emperor Francis I Stephen, consort of Maria Theresa, bought the castle as a hunting seat. After decades of decay in the 19th century, the heir to the throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, had the building extended and modernised in 1897/98, including a bathroom, flush toilets and electric light. In 1908 he received the German Emperor Wilhelm II here for a hunt.

In November 1918 Emperor Charles I withdrew to Eckartsau with his family. In the so-called Grey Salon he signed the renunciation of participation in government affairs in Hungary; in March 1919 the family set out from here into exile. Afterwards the castle passed to the Republic, and since the post-war period it has been looked after by the Österreichische Bundesforste, who have restored it step by step.

Today the castle is part of the Donau-Auen National Park and the Marchfelder Schlösserreich. In the season the interiors with the Imperial Apartment can be seen on daily guided tours, the national park exhibition WILD°WECHSEL is freely accessible, and the landscape park of about 27 hectares is open all year round.

Highlights

• Baroque banqueting hall with Diana ceiling fresco
• Imperial Apartment and Grey Salon, site of the 1918 renunciation declaration
• Daily castle tour “Kaiser ohne Krone” (Emperor Without a Crown)
• National park exhibition WILD°WECHSEL with free admission
• 27-hectare landscape park with nature playground

Permanent exhibition

• WILD°WECHSEL – Vom kaiserlichen Jagdgebiet zum Nationalpark – Interactive national park exhibition on the history and nature of the Donau-Auen, from the imperial hunt to today's protected area; free admission in the season.

Operated by

Österreichische Bundesforste AG (Nationalparkbetrieb Donau-Auen)

Admission & discounts

Prices for the castle tour “Kaiser ohne Krone”; tickets at the Schloss Café, online or by telephone; reservation recommended at weekends and on public holidays. Free admission once per season with the Niederösterreich-CARD (not for special tours and individual appointments), 20% discount with the Burgenland-Card, 10% with the ticket of another castle in the Marchfelder Schlösserreich (not combinable). Castle park, nature playground and the WILD°WECHSEL exhibition are free of charge.

Accessibility

• Partially wheelchair accessible
• Elevator
• 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

Castle park, inner courtyard and toilets are wheelchair accessible; a lift for people with walking difficulties is available for the tours. Anyone who needs the lift or a closer parking space should contact the castle staff in advance. The historic rooms are not heated.

Kids & families

Great for kids & families

• Family tours & workshops
• Activity booklet, scavenger hunt or kids’ audio guide
• Hands-on stations
• Playground / play area

Interactive family tour “Geschichten hinter den Türen” (Stories Behind the Doors) with small costumes on selected dates, nature adventure programmes with the SPÄHIKEL observation wagon and national park camps for children and families. In the park, the nature playground “Das Geschenk der Bäume” (The Gift of the Trees) and a digital puzzle rally with an explorer's book invite visitors to explore.

Getting there & parking

From northern Vienna via the B3 to Wagram an der Donau and the L8; from southern Vienna via the A4, B9 and the Danube bridge at Bad Deutsch-Altenburg, then B49 and L8. By bicycle along the Danube Cycle Path through the national park (about 18 km from Vienna/Lobau); the cycle path passes the castle at a distance of 750 m.

Amenities & dining

• Café
• Restaurant: not available
• Museum shop
• Lockers

Schloss Café (self-service) with Austrian pastries, snacks and regional products in the inner courtyard, approx. 80 seats. For cyclists there are luggage lockers, an e-bike charging station and a repair station.

Events & venue rental

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

Up to 250 guests.

Banqueting hall (up to 130 people at tables, 250 with concert seating), Säulenhalle (columned hall), library, salons and other rooms for weddings, corporate celebrations and seminars; wedding ceremonies also in the wedding pavilion and in the castle chapel (up to 40 people).

Plan your visit