Schloss Kattau

Schloss Kattau stands in the village of Kattau, part of Meiseldorf in Lower Austria. The present building dates from the mid-14th century, though it first appears in records in 1343. In the 15th century Hungarian forces under Matthias Corvinus occupied the castle before Emperor Friedrich III. reclaimed it. Maximilian I later granted the estate to Heinrich Prüschenk von Stettenberg in 1497. By the early 17th century the structure had been transformed into a moated water castle, and a 1644 document calls it newly built. The Freiherren von Gilleis oversaw Baroque alterations between 1669 and 1827. The castle is a four-winged, three-storey building arranged around a rectangular courtyard. Three sides are flanked by sturdy corner towers, while the west wing has collapsed. After the Second World War the building was so dilapidated that demolition was considered, yet partial renovations preserved parts of the structure. Today it remains the centre of the estate’s farming operations and belongs to the Hiller family. Earlier owners included Josef von Hempel, the Neuhaus family and the Geymüller family. A walled Baroque garden was laid out in the late 18th century and converted to an English park in 1823. Old trees from that period still stand among the lawns and pathways. Visitors walk past the surviving wings and towers, noting the contrast between the intact eastern façade and the ruined west side. The surrounding park offers long views across the gently rolling countryside of Lower Austria.