Zwentendorf Castle

It is reported that Bishop Heinrich of Regensburg (died 1155) handed over part of his property in Zwentendorf to Klosterneuburg Abbey and another part to his sister Adelheid. Her son Berengar II of Sulzbach then enfeoffed the Lords of Pottendorf with it. In 1392, Gylg der Wolfstein pledged the lordship to Eberhard von Capell. In 1461, Knight Fronauer burned Zwentendorf down. By 1524 at the latest, the Streun von Schwarzenau became the landlords there. They were followed in 1542 by the Oberhaimer, who also owned Totzenbach. They are traceable here until 1591 and also owned a castle, which, however, subsequently fell into disrepair. In 1595, Christoph Freiherr von Althan acquired Zwentendorf. In Georg Matthäus Vischer's large work of 1672 on the castles of Lower Austria, Zwentendorf Castle is not included, which indicates that it was either completely insignificant or already completely dilapidated at that time. The Counts Althan resided at Goldburg in Murstetten. Around 1750, they had the current castle building in Zwentendorf built as a secondary residence. When Goldburg was burned down by French soldiers in 1809, they moved permanently to Zwentendorf. However, the relatively modest castle soon proved to be too small, so it was enlarged and architecturally altered in the 19th century. The building is still inhabited by the Althan family today.

Garden Gate The late Baroque castle faces its main facade towards the Danube, from which it is separated only by a strip of meadow. The wrought-iron gate to the large garden is flanked by columns bearing stone vases. The single-story building is horizontally structured by a cornice between the two floors. The main facade is divided into a recessed, three-axis central part and two two-axis side parts. These are adjoined by square corner towers. They protrude significantly from the front but only rise above the eaves line with their lantern-adorned sheet metal helmets. They were only added around 1825 but enrich the overall appearance and improve the proportions. The three inner structural elements have their own hip roofs but are still encompassed by a mighty steep roof. The central part has a simple balcony on the upper floor and a triangular gable above it. On the courtyard side, no towers were added to the building. Here, too, the central part is slightly set back, but in the 19th century, a strongly projecting loggia supported by pillars was added to it. The courtyard is flanked on both sides by elongated farm buildings, which have Baroque volute gables on the narrow sides. The connecting walls to the main building are interrupted by passages. On the pillars of the openings stand putti and stone vases from the Goldburg park. On the east side of the garden in front of the castle, an arc-shaped residential building limits the lawn area. It is an architectural addition to the castle grounds from the end of the 19th century.