17 Iconic Buildings to Explore in Burgenland

Güssing Castle was built in 1157 on the steep rock of an extinct volcanic cone. After several changes of ownership, the castle came into the possession of the Batthyány family in 1524. In the 16th and 17th centuries it was expanded into a fortress and was intended to serve as a bulwark - especially against the armies from the east. With the loss of its strategic importance, the castle was abandoned to decay in the 18th century.

Burg Schlaining is a castle in Stadtschlaining in the Austrian state of Burgenland. It is the location of the "Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution" founded in 1982 and has established itself over the past decades as an international competence center for peace research, education and practice. It is a historical and authentic arena of peace, where strategies for non-violent conflict resolution are developed and conveyed.

Burgruine Landsee is a castle ruin in the Austrian state of Burgenland. Burgruine Landsee is 537 metres above sea level. The castle was used as a location for Disney's The Three Musketeers starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Chris O'Donnell, and Oliver Platt. Today, families access the Castle’s keep called “Don Jon” via the large, preserved entrance gate, bridges and arcades. Its viewing platform offers children and their parents amazing 360-degree views of Central Burgenland.

Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt is one of the most beautiful baroque palaces in Austria and presents a fascinating view of the resplendent life once lived at the court of the Princes Esterházy. The architectural history of the building involves a transition from an actual medieval castle, built for defense, to a palace meant for comfort and ostentatious display.

Forchtenstein Castle is a castle built in the late Middle Ages near the municipality of Forchtenstein in northern Burgenland, Austria. It is the only fortress in the region that was never captured during the Turkish Wars; thus the castle served as the treasury of the Esterházy princes, safeguarding all costly and precious possessions. This collection of family treasures can still be seen here today.

Situated in a house dating from the early 18th century, this museum dedicated to Haydn was where the great composer lived from 1766 to 1778. Probably one for Haydn fans only, the collection offers an insight into his private life and has reconstructed rooms with furniture from the era. Original portraits cover the walls, and there are some rare exhibits such as a fortepiano that was made in Eisenstadt.

Írott-kő is the highest point in the Kőszeg Mountains and Transdanubia at 882 meters. It is one of the highest mountain peaks in Hungary. Scanning the landscape from northeast to southeast we may admire the scenic view of Austria on the left and that of Hungary on the right. The two countries used to be separated by the Iron Curtain and the landscape still bears some conspicuous traces of it.

The Leopoldinentempel is in the eastern part of the park of Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt .It was built between 1818 and 1819 on a pond above a cave and cascade system formed from boulders. The round temple has a flat dome and is surrounded by 19 columns with palmette capitals. The interior has a painted coffered ceiling above a console cornice. Here on a pedestal is a copy of the statue "Principessa Leopoldina Esterházy" by the sculptor Antonio Canova.

The Liszthaus Raiding is the birthplace of Franz Liszt in Raiding in Burgenland, Austria. Liszt was born here in 1811. Today it is a museum. The stone building was built in the 16th century; it was part of an estate created by von Guniafalva, a noble, and extended in the mid-17th century by his son-in-law Johann Illesy. The estate was bought in 1805 by the Esterházy family.The building had a roof of wooden shingles, and had six rooms, a kitchen and a room for wine fermentation.

The Lame Castle was a castle above the Faludi Valley in the market town of Rechnitz in the district of Oberwart in Burgenland . Remaining wall remains are under monument protection. Today all of this has fallen into disrepair and covered with high forest. There is historical evidence that the "Barren Castle" had to be surrendered in 1289 after a long siege as part of the "Güssing feud" of Count Iwan against Duke Albrecht I of Austria and Styria.

A magnificent renaissance castle consisting of a mighty four-wing building with two-story courtyard arcades and corner towers. There is stucco work to see the castle chapel with old frescoes , furniture and tapestries . The long-time owner Anton Lehmden ran a painting exhibition in the castle. The castle in its current form was built in 1625 by Paul Nádasdy, who also had the chapel built in 1632.

The Halbturn Palace is a baroque palace complex in Halbturn in Burgenland District Neusiedl am See , east of Lake Neusiedl. The castle was built from 1701 to 1711 by Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt as a hunting lodge for Emperor Karl VI. The castle halls are also known as a venue for exhibitions and for the Halbturner Schlosskonzerte. The company, including viticulture and the cellar, is managed by the owner's grandson, Count Markus von Königsegg-Aulendorf.

Kobersdorf Castle is a castle in the market town of Kobersdorf in the state of Burgenland in Austria. The castle was built around 1528 from a medieval castle , the origins of which probably go back to the time of Ludwig the German. It isnow one of the iconic attraction in this area and so many tourists visits this place every year.

The Lackenbach Castle as former moated castle is southeast of the town of Lackenbach in Burgenland , Austria. The castle consists of a two-storey main building with an elongated, ground-level farm building and an administrator's floor. The arched main portal still has the roles of the former drawbridge. A statue of the Virgin Mary and a double coat of arms Esterházy-Dersffy are located above the main portal .

The Rotenturm Castle in the Austrian Burgenland in Rotenturm an der Pinka is one of the most important historic country castles. Already in the Middle Ages there was a moated castle in the northwest corner of the extensive area , which was protected by the pinka and moats​​​​​​​. The historicist jewel and its park were extensively renovated by the owner Prof. Heinz Schinner in close cooperation with the Federal Monuments Office.

The Tabor Castle in Neuhaus am Klausenbach is located in the three-country Raab nature park in the border region of Austria , Hungary and Slovenia .The castle with a hook-shaped floor plan had the Styrian mercenary leader Ulrich Pessnitzer built in 1469. The courtyard of the castle with two-storey arcades is used in summer for the performance of an opera and for numerous other events. The round tower with the heraldic cartouche is also worth seeing.

The Eisenstadt Castle Park is a lavishly designed landscape garden from the 19th century that is well worth seeing. It covers an area of ​​almost 50 hectares, which extends from the northern edge of the city to Bergstrasse and far up the Leithaberg. The park is structured by four ponds and overgrown with numerous exotic plants, densely wooded areas and a chestnut avenue whose strictly geometric shape can be recognized as a fragment of an old rococo garden.