Eckartsau Castle and Castle Garden

And change is constant - a final shimmer of the crown. Experience ever-changing history and nature strolling through the wild woodland wetlands and the bucolic castle park.
Nestled in the Danube wetlands and the enchanting castle park, the imperial hunting lodge at Eckartsau tells the moving tale of the end of the Danube Monarchy. In 1918 and 1919 it served as the final home in Austria of Emperor Karl and his wife Zita.

Take a stroll through the castle park in Eckartsau. Free admission! In the outdoor café on the historical castle plateau, you can enjoy desserts and coffee along with small refreshments or snacks. You can also take a bit of the castle park home with you - in the form of special tasty juices made of herbs and blossoms, sugar and jellies. The ingredients are harvested by hand from our parkland, which is tended fully organically.

In recent years, the castle park has been restored according to the original plans in a collaboration between the Federal Monuments Authority Austria, Donau-Auen National Park and the Austrian Federal Forestry Office. The basic idea was to create an idealized depiction of the transition between a cultivated landscape and a natural one. This mirror of the landscape back then has been made visible again. Today, visitors can once again experience the park as a walkable landscape painting complete with meadow paths, hammocks and loungers inviting them to stop and linger for awhile.

Immerse yourself in a Danube garden and in a small world with a grand history. Experience pristine nature while breathing in the air of the Habsburg Monarchy, its splendor, its personalities, its passions, its zenith, and the drama of its demise.