Schloss Margarethen am Moos, a Renaissance castle southeast of Vienna, hosts corporate parties, seminars, conferences and weddings. The great hall seats up to 120 at a set table, or up to 200 across two adjoining rooms. A glass-roofed courtyard of 250 m² takes up to 160 guests, and the park holds receptions for 400 guests and more. The castle is privately owned and rented by the family that runs it.
Seminars and company events
The owners list company parties, Christmas parties, seminars, conferences, trade fairs and presentations among the events they host. Workshops can run indoors in the quiet rooms of the castle or outside in the wide castle park. For a company event, the great hall and the courtyard give two distinct settings: one for plenary sessions or a seated dinner, the other for a reception or a coffee break under glass.
Other formats are also hosted: concerts, including open-air concerts, readings, exhibitions, wine tastings and photo shoots, indoors and outdoors. The castle describes a calm, comfortable atmosphere rather than a conference centre, so it suits groups that want a private setting away from the city.
Weddings and receptions
Weddings are a main use of the castle. Church or civil ceremonies can take place in the hall or outdoors. The castle offers an arrival by boat across the fish pond to the altar, and the pond and park form the setting for photographs. For winter weddings, the rooms and the glass-roofed courtyard keep the event comfortable in any weather. Dogs are welcome, which the owners point out for couples who want their pets present.
Rooms and capacities
The Festsaal, the great hall, seats up to 120 people at a set table. Opened up into the two adjoining rooms, it takes up to 200 people. The inner courtyard has been glass-roofed since autumn 2015. It covers 250 m² and takes up to 160 guests, whatever the weather. The park around the castle and the fish pond accommodates receptions for 400 guests and more. The castle is a four-wing building, a Vierkantschloss, around the courtyard.
History and setting
The site began in the 11th century as a fortress for defense and refuge. Conversion into a Renaissance castle started in 1760 under Ferdinand Philipp Graf von Harsch. The moat was filled in and the park laid out. Remains of frescoes in the chapel are attributed to the painter Anton Maulpertsch, and the ceiling of the great hall keeps its Renaissance wood paneling. The Second World War and the occupation destroyed valuable paneling and stucco. The castle changed hands about 25 times. The Schwaner-Ries family has owned it since 1998 and restored it.
The castle stands in the center of Margarethen am Moos, across from the church, inside a large private park.
Getting there
The address is Wienerstrasse 17, 2433 Margarethen am Moos, in Lower Austria, close to Vienna. The owners offer free visits on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which lets an organizer see the rooms before booking. Contact is by phone at 0664 520 49 51 or 0664 394 11 21, or by email at office@veranstaltungsschloss.at.
