Lockenhaus Castle

Lockenhaus was built in the thirteenth century on the frontier between Hungary and Austria and passed through the Kanizsai, Nádasdy and Esterházy families before a parish priest, Paul Anton Keller, bought it in 1968 and put it into a foundation to save it from decay. Its most striking room is the Kultsaal, a two-storey vaulted Gothic hall whose original purpose is unresolved - explanations run from a knights' chapter room to a Templar connection, none of them settled - and its vaulting is unusual enough to be studied on its own account. The castle's darker association is Elizabeth Báthory, who lived here through her marriage to Ferenc Nádasdy. Since 1981 it has hosted an international chamber music festival, founded by Gidon Kremer, held in the knights' hall each summer.

What you actually see

• The Gothic Kultsaal - a two-storey vaulted hall whose purpose is still argued over.
• A frontier castle of 1200s - built on the old Hungarian-Austrian border.
• A chamber music festival - held in the knights' hall each summer since 1981.
• A foundation-owned building - saved from decay by a private purchase in 1968.

When to go

April to October; the chamber festival is in summer. Half a day.

Honest expectations

Winter opening is limited. Festival dates restrict access to the halls. The Báthory connection is real but the lurid stories attached to her are heavily contested by historians.

Nearby

Bernstein and Stadtschlaining are close; the Hungarian border is east.