Schloss Hirschstetten, Protected château in Donaustadt, Austria
Schloss Hirschstetten is a château in Donaustadt, Vienna, whose main building was destroyed by an American bomb on 12 March 1945. The surviving structures are the entrance portal, the castle chapel, remnants of a corner pavilion, and a garden portal with outbuildings. The site is used by the Hirschstetten parish.
The château was founded in 1693 as a noble residence for Count Otto Ferdinand von Hohenfeld and underwent substantial redesign between 1713 and 1728. This renovation period shaped the building's present form and its decorative features.
The site takes its name from the old "Landquart Hierstetten" estate, which passed to Prince Adam Franz von Schwarzenberg in 1713. The surviving chapel, added under Count Johann Wilhelm von Wurmbrand-Stuppach after 1728, is still used by the Hirschstetten parish. The entrance portal, corner pavilion remains and garden portal with outbuildings stand as remnants of the former baroque ensemble.
The grounds are managed by the Hirschstetten parish and the chapel is regularly open for religious services. Visitors should inquire in advance about access, as the site functions primarily as an active place of worship.
The 1713–1728 renovation by architect Anton Erhard Martinelli cost 100,000 Gulden and added two flanking halls with adjoining grottoes, plus quarters and stables for servants, carriages and horses. A ceiling painting by Daniel Gran decorated the west hall. In 1728 the estate sold for 20,000 Gulden and 200 ducats.
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