- Type
- Palace / château
- Origins
- 1253 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Lower Austria, Austria
- Style
- Renaissance architecture
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 48.2425°, 15.2025°
History
The seat at Artstetten, in the hills above the Danube valley in the Nibelungengau, is recorded from the 13th century; it changed hands many times and was rebuilt in Renaissance style in the 16th century. In 1823 it was bought by Emperor Francis I, and it later passed to Archduke Karl Ludwig, who gave it to his son Franz Ferdinand. The heir to the throne remodelled it in historicist style as a family home for himself, his wife Sophie Chotek and their children. After the Sarajevo assassination in 1914 the couple were laid to rest in the crypt beneath the castle church. The castle has stayed with their descendants, the Princes of Hohenberg.
What to see
The white castle, with several towers topped by onion domes, stands in a park. Inside, a museum is devoted to Franz Ferdinand and his family, with mementoes, photographs and the story of the Sarajevo assassination. Below the church visitors can go down to the crypt with the sarcophagi of the archduke and Sophie, and the terraces look out over the Danube valley.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q697003
Popularity: articles about this site in 16 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).