Schloss Liechtenstein (Maria Enzersdorf)

In the aftermath of World War II, the palace fall into ruins and has been sold by the princely family.

[1] During the Battle of Vienna in 1683, troops of the Ottoman Empire destroyed the castle and the manor house, leaving both in ruins.

Among these owners was the Polish prince Stanisław Poniatowski (1754–1833), a nephew of king Stanislaus Augustus of Poland (r. 1764–1795).

[1][3] The façade was modeled after Weilburg Palace in Baden, the summer seat of the Teschen branch of the Habsburg family.

The palace facade also has similarities with the Liechtenstein palace of Nové Zámky u Litovle (German: Neuschloss bei Littau) in Mladeč, a baroque hunting lodge neoclassically reconstructed after a fire by prince Johann I between 1806 and 1808 basis a design of the architect Joseph Hardtmuth (1758-1816).

However, the castle remained in ruins until 1884, when it was rebuilt by architect Carl Gangolf Kayser for prince Johann II of Liechtenstein (1840–1929).

[2] Until he passed away in 1836, prince Johann I was very interested in Schloss Liechtenstein and paid much attention to the palace and the gardens.

In the second half of July, the prince would move to his palace in Lednice (German: Schloss Eisgrub), where the hunting season would begin in September.

[6] A large part of the prince's archive was stored in the palace, just as a valuable collection of Biedermeier furniture and paintings.

[1][3] During the Soviet occupation of eastern Austria after the Second World War, the palace was requisitioned by Russian occupying forces until 1955.

[1] Four tall columns, reminiscent of a Greek temple, support an attic with a triangular gable, adorned with a stone Liechtenstein coat of arms.

[1] The shallow barrel vault of the hall is adorned with classical decorative paintings in grisaille technique.

[2] But it was prince Johann I who really started creating the park from the moment he acquired his ancestral estate back.

[7] Prince Johann I also constructed the roads and alleys through the landscape park so that not only he, but also that visitors could enjoy the beauty of the garden.

[2] Joseph Hardtmuth was not only involved in the restoration of Liechtenstein castle, but he also designed many of the artificial ruins and temples in the park.

[2] Examples are the Amphitheatre, the Roman wall, the Black tower, the Hussars temple, and the alliance pyramid.

[2] It is a semi-circular building with 16 vaulted arches supported by massive pillars and Doric columns as well as two towers.