Schallaburg Castle

Schallaburg is a medieval castle that was rebuilt in the sixteenth century by the Losenstein family, and what makes it exceptional is the courtyard: two storeys of arcades faced entirely in terracotta, with something like sixteen hundred moulded and fired pieces - masks, grotesques, caryatids, mythological figures, heraldry - made on site between 1572 and 1600, the largest work of its kind north of the Alps. The rest of the building runs from a Romanesque core through Gothic to the Renaissance additions, with a garden below. Since 1974 the castle has been run by the province as an exhibition venue, mounting one large cultural history show a year that occupies the interiors, so what is inside changes annually while the courtyard stays the reason to come.

History

The castle is first named, as the fortress Schala, in 1242; the lords of Zelking held it from the 13th to the 15th century and the Losenstein family from 1456 to 1614, and in the 16th century Hans Wilhelm von Losenstein rebuilt it in Renaissance style, made the church of Loosdorf Lutheran and founded a Lutheran grammar school there for noble and common boys, which ran from 1574 to 1627. He died in 1601 leaving heavy debts, George von Stubenberg bought the castle in 1614, the church and school were closed in 1627 under Ferdinand II's law restoring Catholicism, and after many owners the castle became property of the Republic of Austria in 1955 (Wikipedia, Schallaburg Castle).

Highlights

• A terracotta arcade courtyard - some sixteen hundred fired figures, made on site.
• Layered building - Romanesque core, Gothic additions, Renaissance rebuilding.
• A yearly exhibition - one large cultural history show occupying the interiors.
• The castle garden - laid out on the terraces below the walls.

When to go

March to November; the castle closes over winter. Half a day.

Things to know

Closed in winter. The interior exhibition changes every year, so what you see inside depends on the season and may not interest you. The courtyard is the constant.

Nearby

Melk Abbey and the Wachau are a few kilometres north.

Key facts