Schloss Deutschkreutz in central Burgenland was built in 1625 by Count Paul Nádasdy in the style of the Italian Renaissance. The four-winged, two-story building with a rectangular arcade courtyard and four corner towers is a typical example of the combination of a noble residence, castle, and farmstead in the border region. Despite the geographical distance from the Italian Renaissance, the castle impresses with its clear proportions and stylistic purity. It was once a cultural center with its own printing press and theater operation.
After the death of Count Franz Nádasdy in 1671, the castle lost its significance, was used as a farmstead, and was heavily damaged by Soviet troops during World War II. In 1966, the Austrian artist Anton Lehmden acquired the castle in a dilapidated state. He dedicated himself to extensive restoration until his death in 2018 and made the castle his center of life and work. He established the Lehmden Museum in over 800 m², which offers comprehensive insight into his artistic work.
Particularly noteworthy is the castle chapel, which was established in 1643 after Franz Nádasdy's conversion to Catholicism and is now equipped with glass images by Lehmden. Since 1971, the castle has been under monument protection as "cultural property in the sense of the Hague Convention." Today, Schloss Deutschkreutz serves not only as a museum but also as a cultural center and event venue, operated among others by the association "Kultursignale Schloss Deutschkreutz." Tours and events make the historic complex accessible to a broad audience.
