Schloss Hagenau, Renaissance castle in Sankt Peter am Hart, Austria.

Schloss Hagenau is a Renaissance castle in Sankt Peter am Hart, Austria, built with three floors and four towers. Two round towers stand on the south side while two square towers frame the north side, giving the building an asymmetrical shape.

A castle near the present site is documented in 1088 as the seat of Hartwicus de Hagenowe. After the Hagenau line died out in 1262, the estate passed to the Ortenburgs and then to the Dukes of Bavaria. In 1571 the old castle, damaged by fires and floods, was demolished and the present Renaissance schloss built on higher ground. In 1635 Elector Maximilian I of Bavaria gave it to his personal physician Ferdinand Schütz, who added the brewhouse and stables.

In the castle park stands a Gothic chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas in 1515; Count Franking had it rebuilt in 1727/28 because it had become dilapidated. It now serves as an event space, used among other things for concerts.

The castle is largely privately used and opens only during events, so check the event programme before travelling. It stands on a raised, flood-protected spur above the old mouth of the Mattig, next to the bay of the former river mouth. The Gothic chapel in the park now serves as an event and concert room.

Above the entrance the von Handel family crest is still visible, placed there as a reminder of how the property changed hands through a princely gift. This carved detail connects the building directly to the political ties between its owners and the Bavarian court.