Schloss Aschach an der Donau

Schloss Aschach stands on the southern edge of the village of Aschach an der Donau in Upper Austria, about 25 kilometres west of Linz. Built in 1539 on the remains of a Roman villa, it has passed through many hands—from the Schaunbergers to the Liechtensteins, then the Jörgers and the Harrachs—before falling into private ownership again in 1987. The present owners, the Gerstner family, began careful restoration after decades of neglect. The castle’s long history is visible in its architecture. The three-storey south wing, dating from 1593, still shows its original three-part structure. Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt remodelled the east wing in 1709–10 for Count Aloys Thomas Raimund von Harrach, adding a tower that was later removed. Inside, a two-storey chapel once held a grand Baroque altar designed by Hildebrandt, now in St Pölten. Visitors can walk through the remaining English park west of the castle, once part of a much larger landscaped garden. The castle itself offers guided tours of its grand rooms—the Marble Hall, Redout Halls, Sissy and Kaiser suites, and the Zirbenstube—while the grounds host concerts, exhibitions and private events.