A new chapter opens at Schlaining Castle - dark, shrouded in mystery and filled with the kind of mysticism that only places where history never quite comes to rest can breathe. "The Castle for the Devil" takes us deep into the 15th century and into the life of Andreas Baumkircher, the lord of the castle, mercenary leader and power strategist who fascinated friend and foe alike. His decisions, his rise and fall lie like a shadow over the old walls, which today seem to tell more stories than ever.
Anyone entering the historic rooms immediately senses the crackling between legend and traditional truth. The exhibition turns the castle itself into a narrator - stone by stone a testimony to alliances, broken oaths and those dark moments when loyalty became a pawn in political intrigue. Baumkircher's life unfolds like a dramatic ritual: the grasp for power, the price of betrayal, the struggle for influence at a time when death was often closer than triumph.
The castle for the devil - power, betrayal and whispering walls © KBB Burgenland
Visitors follow a search for clues that skillfully interweaves original objects, locations and historical sources. The result is a tour that removes the distance to the past. You move through rooms in which there are still faint echoes of decisions that once decided fates.
Guided tours: November 28, December 5, 12 and 19, 2025, each at 5 pm; and December 7, 2025 at 11 am.
Where the knights live - the Middle Ages for young explorers
For children, the castle opens up in a particularly lively way: The guided tour "Where the knights live" takes the Middle Ages out of the shadows of history and makes it comprehensible, amazing and full of adventure. How did people live in a fortress? What tasks did knights have? Why was a castle considered a safe haven - and sometimes the scene of dangerous secrets?
Young visitors wander through the walls and courtyards, encounter everyday stories from centuries past and experience the world of forest castles, weapons and rituals up close. An ideal family excursion that awakens the imagination as well as historical understanding.
Guided tours: November 30, December 14 and 21, 2025, each at 2 pm.
Where the knights live - the Middle Ages for young explorers © KBB Burgenland
