Schloss Zell an der Pram

Schloss Zell an der Pram stands in the village of Zell an der Pram in Upper Austria, beside the river Pram. It is a large three-storey building with a closed courtyard and a symmetrical front marked by a three-bay middle section. The roof is a pitched slate roof with dormers. The present structure belongs to early classicism but shows traces of earlier styles. The building is worth visiting for its layered history and fine interiors. A first castle on the right bank was levelled in 1964 for a road. A water castle on an island was replaced in the 1770s by the current block, designed by Franz de Cuvilliés the Younger. The Festsaal’s ceiling frescoes were painted by Christian Wink, and the staircase walls carry rococo murals by Josef Damian Stuber. After years as a school it was restored in the 1970s for adult arts education. Inside, the two-storey Festsaal is framed by galleries and Ionic columns, its walls and ceiling covered with scenes from Greek myth and aristocratic country life. The staircase has an ornate balustrade and further rococo wall paintings. Outside, a rose garden and a stone garden surround the building. The former stable wing now houses a vaulted ‘culture cellar’, while the old barn wing is a multi-purpose hall.