Mattsee Castle

Mattsee Castle is located on a castle hill partially surrounded by water in Lake Mattsee in the Austrian municipality of Mattsee, which has owned the property since 1949.

Archaeological finds from the 1950s prove that the castle hill, which was a rocky island in prehistoric times, was already settled in the Neolithic Age. The current castle complex dates back to a castle built around 1100 on behalf of the Bishops of Passau; the Reckturm was completed in 1294. Under the impression of the attack by Salzburg troops in 1319 during the dispute over the throne between Louis IV and the Habsburgs, a moat was built in 1325, which now gave the complex the character of an island. After several changes of ownership, the castle passed to the Archdiocese of Salzburg in 1398 and was expanded into a summer residence for the Archbishops of Salzburg until the 17th century. Prince-Archbishops Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, Markus Sittikus von Hohems, and Paris Lodron used the castle for hunting and recreation. In the centuries that followed, the building increasingly fell into disrepair; in the 19th century, the castle was even used as a quarry for building materials for the construction of new buildings in the area. Only from 1998 to 2003 was Mattsee Castle rebuilt according to original plans.

Today, the castle is used for various events, including the concert series "Diabellisommer". A castle café and the Leonardo Art Academy are also housed there.

Below the castle is a so-called ice cellar, which was built by the Obertrumer brewer Josef Sigl in 1871 and is now used as a quiet place.