Schloss Hollenegg, Castle in Bad Schwanberg, Austria

Schloss Hollenegg is a castle in Bad Schwanberg, built around 1200 as a fortress and expanded with a residential wing in the 19th century, creating two courtyards. The first courtyard holds the church consecrated in 1778 and is enclosed by a two-storey arcaded walkway; the second, inner courtyard is surrounded by residential buildings and contains a 17th-century well arbour. The oldest part is a square tower at the northeast corner, while the two round towers at the northwest and southeast served as cannon towers.

The first written record of the site dates to 1163, in documents from Admont Abbey. The Liechtenstein family took ownership in 1821 and still holds the castle today.

Since 2015, Schloss Hollenegg for Design, founded by Alice Stori Liechtenstein, has run a residency inviting two to four designers a year to live in the castle and develop projects inspired by its architecture and collections. The association also curates a changing programme of design exhibitions in the historic rooms, bringing contemporary design culture to a rural region.

The castle is open to the public only during certain periods, so checking current opening dates before visiting is a good idea. Guided tours are available and give access to the interior rooms, which are otherwise closed to visitors.

The Great Hall contains frescoes painted in 1750 by Philipp Carl Laubmann that fool the eye into seeing open columns and balconies on all four walls. The effect is convincing enough that visitors often pause to look twice before realizing everything is painted.