Aistersheim Castle, Renaissance castle in Aistersheim, Austria

Aistersheim Castle is a Renaissance residence in Austria featuring four corner towers and balanced architectural proportions, built on wooden-pile foundations within a water-filled moat. The surrounding water is integral to the structure and forms its most distinctive visual feature.

A medieval water castle is first documented in 1159 with Dietmar von Aistersheim. In 1464 Hanns von Hohenfeld bought the estate, and within seven years the castle was shelled and destroyed by Wolfgang von Schaunberg's gunpowder artillery during the Liechtenstein feud. Rebuilt in the second half of the 16th century under Achaz von Hohenfeld, the late-Renaissance castle was finished around 1600.

The castle displays furnishings and decorations that show how Austrian nobility lived across different periods. You can see the objects that mattered to wealthy residents and understand their daily life through what remains.

To visit the castle, you must arrange a tour in advance since it only opens by appointment. Contacting the property directly or asking local tourism services can help you schedule your visit.

The moat is fed by a pond that still encircles the whole building, and two wooden bridges lead to the plain gates. The outer walls, almost two and a half metres thick, rest on a large number of wooden piles driven into the wet ground.