The Laxenburg Palace Park, covering an area of 280 hectares, is a prime example of 18th and 19th century garden design and has a history dating back to the 13th century. During my visit to this impressive park landscape, I also passed the Old Palace, a valuable architectural monument in Austria. The Old Castle is probably the oldest building in Laxenburg. It was considered the heart of the surrounding hunting grounds and was originally surrounded by a moat with outbuildings. After the Lachsenburg family died out, it served as the Habsburgs’ spring and autumn residence from 1306 until the First World War. In the 14th century, Albrecht III acquired the entire complex and the Old Castle was redesigned into a magnificent hunting lodge. The castle complex was redesigned again in the second half of the 17th century under Lodovico Burnacini in the Baroque style. At the same time as the castle was being rebuilt in the 14th century, Duke Albrecht III also had a castle chapel with a Gothic apse and Baroque interior built. In 1338, he established a foundation for the benefit of the “castle chapel of St. Mary at the Gate.” Further expansion took place from 1336 onwards by Master Michael, who was considered the ducal architect. At that time, the Old Castle was enlarged and decorated with stone figures from the castle on Vienna’s Leopoldsberg. The chapel was also expanded. Parts of the façade from this period have been preserved in the inner courtyard to this day. Under Empress Maria Theresa, the chapel was given a Baroque makeover around 1755. During this period, the flat barrel vault and the marble stucco wall covering were created. In 1925, the chapel was secularized and suffered extensive damage during World War II. After extensive restoration, the chapel was reconsecrated in 1972. That same year, the current interior furnishings were brought from the Salesian convent in Vienna. Today, the chapel provides the ideal setting for weddings, baptisms, and other celebrations. After a long list of owners, the entire castle complex is now owned by the agricultural estate management company Schloss Laxenburg Betriebsgesellschaft mbH für Schloss und Park, which was founded in 1962 by representatives of Lower Austria and Vienna. In addition, the Old Castle now houses the Film Archive Austria.
