Ochsenburg Castle

St. Pölten’s Ochsenburg Castle is a castle.It is located on a about 30 meter high ledge on the right bank of the Traisen in Ochsenburg’s southernmost St. Pölten district.

The medieval fortress of the Lords of Ochsenburg was restored into a Renaissance-style palace in the 16th century.The baroque south wing was most likely erected in 1698 by Jakob Prandtauer.The Nikolaus chapel at the palace was rebuilt in the 18th century, with Martin Johann Schmidt playing a crucial role.

The Canons of St. Pölten owned the fortress from 1383 to 1530.The Lassbergers were the owners until 1675, when they were succeeded by the Lords of Leisser.It was repurchased by the monastery under Provost Christoph Müller in 1699.The St. Pölten monastery was disbanded as part of the Josephine reforms in 1784, and the castle was given to the Lower Austrian ecclesiastical fund.The newly founded diocese of St. Pölten obtained the authority to use it in 1785.During WWII, the castle served as a military hospital before falling into disrepair.Since its restoration, the castle has functioned as a summer home for the bishops of St. Pölten.In 2010, it was revealed that the Diocese of St. Pölten was selling Ochsenburg Castle for roughly three million euros.Because no buyer was identified by mid-2011, it was stated that the castle will be refurbished and available for rent for special occasions.A buyer, though, is still being sought.