Freisaal Castle

Freisaal Castle is nestled in the green belt in the south of the provincial capital Salzburg in Austria. In its immediate vicinity is the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Salzburg. The castle is located in the middle of a small pond.

The small castle, whose name derives from "Freudensaal" (Hall of Joy), was first mentioned in a document in 1392. It already served Prince-Archbishop Pilgrim II of Puchheim as a pleasure house, and later Prince-Archbishops also used it as a country residence.

Freisaal Castle was also the place where the newly elected Prince-Archbishops received the insignia of their worldly power and from where their solemn entry into the city began.

The castle was rebuilt in 1549 under the designated Archbishop, Administrator Ernst von Bayern, in the Mannerist style and has since been surrounded by a pond as a moated castle.

In 1907, the castle was renovated and altered in the villa style; the half-timbered structure in the inner courtyard was also built at that time. These changes were partially reversed later.

The appearance of the outwardly somewhat inconspicuous castle was significantly impaired in 2008 by an allegedly necessary, but not very stylish, bank stabilization using block stones – instead of willow fascines.

On the upper floor are murals, with a monumental fresco by Hans Bocksberger the Elder (1558), depicting the solemn entry of Prince-Archbishop Michael von Kuenburg in 1558, pointing to the great past of this building.

From 1967 to 1989, the renowned Austrian painter Prof. Lucas Suppin lived and worked in the castle. After an unfortunate renovation after 1950, he tried, under the direction of the Federal Monuments Office, to restore the frescoes to their original condition before 1970. As an academic painter, he had a strong connection to the castle, its unique frescoes, and its unique history.

The property is now in private hands and not publicly accessible. Since 2006, the owner has been a foundation whose former chairman, Erich Schumann, head of the WAZ publishing group, died in early 2007.