A majestic structure stands before you. This is Schloss Altkettenhof. Its history stretches back to the 13th century. It began as a small structure in Alt-Kettenhof. Over the centuries it grew and changed.
Schloss Altkettenhof has witnessed significant transformations. In 1760 Heinrich Kajetan von Blümegen became its owner. He expanded the Schloss considerably. He also established a textile factory nearby. His son and daughters lived there until 1813. The Schloss then passed through various hands. Among them were Moritz and Philip Jacob von Fries. Then Johann Ziegler and Elonora Gräfin von Kálnoky owned it. Later the Ziegler brothers sold it to Karl Mayer.
Johann Bernhard von Rechberg an Austrian diplomat acquired Schloss Altkettenhof in 1850. He resided there until his death in 1899. A pivotal moment arrived in 1902. Anton Dreher Jr a Schwechat brewery owner purchased the Schloss. He commissioned a major renovation. Architect Emil Bressler and builder Johann Miksch transformed it into a Neo-Baroque masterpiece. The interior design was the work of Portois & Fix renowned Viennese artisans. This renovation cost a staggering 800000 Kronen approximately 4 million Euros in today’s value.
Tragically Anton Dreher died in 1921. His wife Katharina continued living there. She gifted the Schloss to the city of Schwechat in 1938. This was shortly before Austria’s annexation by Nazi Germany. The Nazis repurposed it. It became a Reichsschulungsburg a training center for the German Labour Front.
During World War II Schloss Altkettenhof served as a hospital. After the war the Soviet army occupied it. Following the Austrian State Treaty in 1955 it returned to Schwechat. The city gifted it to the Austrian Ministry of Justice in 1956. After refurbishment the building opened as a judicial school in 1964.
Today Schloss Altkettenhof continues to serve as a district court and a judicial school. It stands as a testament to its rich and often turbulent past. Its walls have witnessed centuries of history. From humble beginnings to opulent grandeur it has endured. It has served as a family home a factory a Nazi training center and a judicial institution. Schloss Altkettenhof’s story is a microcosm of Austrian history itself.