Schloss Hofen, Renaissance estate in Lochau, Austria.
Schloss Hofen is a three-storey Renaissance residence near Lochau on Lake Constance, built from 1584/85 and completed around 1616. Its residential wing forms two obtuse-angled wings, and a Raitenau coat of arms stone dated 1585 is visible above the outer entrance. Two free-standing access towers replaced rear annexes from 1908 during a renovation completed in 2016.
The estate took shape around 1600 under the influence of the Counts of Raitenau, who managed and expanded it from 1467 to 1658. The complex evolved from early fortified structures into a representational residential castle.
The Raitenau family gave the estate its name and held Lochau from 1467 to 1658; Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, later Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, was born here in 1559. Since 1981 the building has housed a state education centre, now run as a non-profit GmbH under the name Zentrum für Wissenschaft, Aus- und Weiterbildung.
The site now operates as an educational institute and seminar hotel with guest accommodations and meeting spaces. Visitors can view the building from the shoreline or attend organized events to explore the interior.
The Raitenau coat of arms stone above the outer entrance is dated 1585, the year Hans Gaudenz von Raitenau began building. Wolf Dietrich von Raitenau, later Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg (1587–1612), was born at Hofen in 1559. In 2016 two rear annexes from 1908 were removed and replaced by two free-standing access towers.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,942 contributors worldwide.