Gazing upon Schloss Laudon, it’s easy to imagine the clatter of hooves across the cobblestone bridge and the rustle of silks as elegant figures once graced its halls. This beautiful baroque water castle, also known as Schloss Hadersdorf, has witnessed centuries of Viennese history. The lords of Hadersdorf, first mentioned around 1130, likely established an early fortification on these grounds. Over the centuries, ownership shifted hands, eventually landing with the local forestry master.
The castle faced tumultuous times during both Turkish sieges of Vienna. The first, in 1529, left the structure in ruins. After reconstruction, it passed through noble families until 1654, when Empress Eleonora Gonzaga, the third wife of Emperor Ferdinand III, claimed it as her own. History whispers tales of Elisabeth Christine, wife of the future Emperor Charles VI, finding refuge within these walls in 1708. A Latin inscription in the stairwell commemorates her stay, its letters cleverly encoding the year 1708.
The castle as we see it today took shape in 1744 thanks to Franz Wilhelm Schellerer. But perhaps the most notable resident, the one who etched his name into the castle’s legacy, arrived in 1776: Field Marshal Ernst Gideon von Laudon. He, a military strategist of renown, chose Schloss Laudon as his sanctuary until his death in 1790. The castle remained a cherished possession of the Laudon family until 1925, standing as a testament to his life and achievements. Today, though not open to the public, Schloss Laudon serves as a reminder of bygone eras. It stands gracefully, a silent sentinel reflecting on the ebb and flow of Vienna’s rich past.