Clam Castle

Burg Clam stands on a rock above the Klamschlucht gorge in the Mühlviertel and has belonged to the Clam family since 1454, an unbroken tenure of over five hundred years, which is why the interiors contain what a family accumulates rather than what a museum assembles: an eighteenth-century apothecary with its jars and fittings intact, armour, portraits, a chapel and a library. The Renaissance arcaded courtyard is the architectural set piece. Since the 1990s the castle has run one of the best-known open-air concert venues in Austria in the meadow below the walls, with international rock and pop acts playing to tens of thousands through the summer, which has become a large part of what the estate does and fills the roads for miles on show nights.

What you actually see

• A family castle since 1454 - interiors accumulated rather than curated.
• An intact eighteenth-century apothecary - jars, drawers and fittings in place.
• A Renaissance arcaded courtyard - the architectural centre of the building.
• Summer open-air concerts - major acts playing the meadow below the walls.

When to go

May to September; check the concert calendar. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Concert days close the castle to ordinary visitors and gridlock the local roads. Interior access is by guided tour. Winter opening is minimal. The gorge walk below is separate.

Nearby

Grein and the Danube are south; the Klamschlucht gorge is below the castle.