Dornau Castle

Dornau Castle was a link in the chain of castles intended to secure the eastern edge of the Vienna Woods against Hungarian incursions. The castle was first mentioned in 1349 on the occasion of a division of property between the brothers Heinrich III and Eberhard VI of Wallsee. It was administered by the Wallsee's vassals, the Lords of Haunfeld.

Subsequently, the owners changed quite frequently. The Wallsee family was followed by the Pogschütz family. In the first half of the 16th century, the Lords von der Hayd resided here. From 1570, Andreas Schnätterl and his descendants were the lords of the castle. In 1665, Dornau was owned by the Gonzaga, who were succeeded by the Gariboldi. They were followed by the Herberstein, Starhemberg and Zinzendorf families.

In 1812, Maria Ludovica, the wife of Emperor Franz I, bought the estate. In 1816, it belonged to Crown Prince Ferdinand. He had a large landscape garden laid out and the castle largely rebuilt. However, the estate was soon sold and first went to the Liechtenstein family, later to the Rumerskirch and finally to the Trautmannsdorf, who today maintain a fish farm here.

The already dilapidated castle was severely damaged in 1945 by the fighting between the advancing Russians and the retreating German troops, so that after the war it was decided to partially demolish it.