I read a description of Schloss Hof as: Imagine that the two gigantic Hapsburg palaces in Vienna had a love child, and took it to the Austrian countryside to be raised … You’d have Schloss Hof. Mrs Bear and I drove here from Bratislava which is actually closer than Vienna.
The picture above is actually the rear of the palace. The front had lots of scaffolding so this angle showed it off better.
The castle was originally constructed in the 1620s, but came to prominence when it was acquired by Prince Eugene of Savoy in 1725. He expanded it into a country residence and hunting lodge. The Prince worked his way up to become the Supreme Commander of the Austrian Army. After his death the castle came into the possession of Austria’s sovereign Maria Teresa in 1773. It is said that one of the Hapsburg royals came to visit after Maria’s renovations, but stayed only two hours before retreating to Vienna.
I get a little bored sometimes walking around the rooms of palaces and trying to figure out what to show. But this time, I became intrigued with the fireplaces. The palace was used by the military as a headquarters during WWI and fell into serious disrepair… Private donations have been raised for the restoration that continues. But the fireplaces were described as original. So below are my photos of the fireplaces of Schloss Hof.
The gardens at Schloss Hof were also exquisite and below them took us to outbuildings and an array of animals: chickens, peacocks, horses, camels, and most famously white donkeys.
This was as enjoyable as touring the much larger palaces in Vienna. Its country setting, size, and animals reminded me of the Hearst Castle on the California coast.
