Bernstein Castle

The first documented mention of Bernstein Castle occurred in the 13th century. Originally, the surrounding area belonged to the Archdiocese of Salzburg before becoming part of the Kingdom of Hungary in 1199. In 1236, Bela IV of Hungary conquered the castle, which he later, in 1260, transferred to Count Heinrich II of Güns. Following a decisive defeat of the Counts of Güssing and Bernstein by the Hungarian King Charles Robert of Anjou in 1336, the castle became Hungarian crown property. Towards the end of the 14th century, from 1388, the castle was pledged to the Kanizsay family, who began rebuilding the dilapidated complex in 1389 and took possession of it in 1392. Temporarily, in 1482, the castle belonged to the Hungarian King Matthias Corvinus, before it was pledged to Hans von Königsberg in 1487. In the 16th century, Bernstein Castle withstood sieges by the Turks in 1529 and 1532, after which a ring of bastions was erected to transform it into a refuge castle. A siege by a combined army under Stephan Bocskay in 1604 also proved unsuccessful. An explosion of the powder magazine in 1617 damaged the castle, prompting Ludwig Königsberg to baroque-style the Gothic interior and demolish the keep and towers. In 1644, Ehrenreich Christoph Königsberg sold the dominion and castle to Count Ádám Batthyány. In 1864, Gusztáv Batthyány sold the castle to his administrator Edward O’Egan. After further changes of ownership, Eduard von Almásy acquired the castle in 1892, and it remains in the possession of this family today.

Bernstein Castle is located in the municipality of Bernstein in the Oberwart district, in the Austrian state of Burgenland. It is situated at an elevation of approximately 636 meters above sea level.

Today, Bernstein Castle houses a hotel. A part of the castle was converted into a comfortable resort hotel in 1953.

• Madonnenschlössl (castle), approx. 0.7 km away
• Burgruine Willersdorf (castle ruin), approx. 5.6 km away
• Schloss Jormannsdorf (castle), approx. 6.9 km away
• Burg Schlaining (castle), approx. 9.7 km away