Schloss Mautern, Castle in Mautern an der Donau, Austria

Schloss Mautern is a medieval castle on the Danube in Austria featuring four wings built during different periods that surround a square courtyard. A protected plane tree stands at the center of this courtyard, adding to the character of the space.

Mautern belonged to the Bishops of Passau from 972, who installed administrators in a fortified court within the town walls. After the new town wall of 1276/1279 they moved their seat to a 7.3 × 7.8 m residential tower; an 11 × 22 m building was added to its east in the 14th/15th century. In the 16th century an east wing completed a three-winged castle, and the west wing gave it its closed four-winged form in the 17th or 18th century. Friedrich Karl von Schönborn-Buchheim bought castle and lordship in 1734; the town acquired it between 1913 and 1916.

The castle chapel, probably built around 1300, was consecrated in 1786 and later converted into flats; its altar was given to the Krems Museum in 1905, which saved it from the fire of 13 August 1907. Since the early 1980s the town has restored the chapel, and the over eight-metre altar is to return there.

The castle is currently used as a residence, so public access is limited to the courtyard area only. Plan to view the exterior and courtyard from the accessible entry points without entering the building itself.

The oldest part of the complex is the north wing, whose ground floor holds the foundations of a medieval tower from the second half of the 13th century. The wing's present two-storey form dates from the 18th century, and its Danube-facing facade is divided into nine axes with late-baroque window hoods.