Traunsee Castle

A château reminiscent of the French Renaissance

Duke Philipp of Württemberg has Traunsee Castle built at the end of the 19th century. It is a gift to his wife Archduchess Maria Theresa. The residence serves as a summer villa to escape the dust and heat of Vienna and to find relaxation by the lake in Upper Austria. Originally called Villa Maria Theresa, the building is also known as Württemberg Castle in the area around Traunsee.

Since Phillip of Württemberg has grown up at the French court of his grandfather King Louis-Philippe, it is not surprising that he has Traunsee Castle built in the style of the French Neo-Renaissance. Historicism imitates the styles of past eras and, in the 19th century, replaces classicism, which draws on stylistic elements of Greek and Roman antiquity. The castle architect is Heinrich Adam, and Heinrich von Ferstel, the architect of Vienna’s Votive Church, is responsible for the castle chapel.

Speaking of Vienna: Württemberg Palais on Vienna's Ringstrasse, today's Hotel Imperial, is also based on Heinrich Adam's designs. The buildings on the Ringstrasse are also built in historicism’s wide variety of styles – its parliament building is an imitation of a Greek temple, the city hall neo-Gothic, the university neo-Baroque and the opera house a mixture of French and Italian neo-Renaissance.

The Württembergs leave Vienna in 1905 for Stuttgart to succeed to the throne of the Kingdom of Württemberg. But the First World War is about to change everything and bring about the downfall of the monarchies.

During the First World War, Württemberg Castle is used as a refugee camp and military hospital, and during the Second World War, the German navy and the Hitler Youth are accommodated here. In the 1960s, castle and park finally come into the possession of the Republic of Austria and an economic secondary school is run here until the 1980s.

Even today, the castle still houses pupils, those of the affiliated Bundesoberstufenrealgymnasium (BORG) Schloss Traunsee. In collaboration with the municipality, the castle is also used for cultural events such as concerts, readings and exhibitions, as well as for weddings.