This Renaissance castle, built in around 1600 and originally used to protect the customs and brewery town of Weitra, has a splendid courtyard with classical Italianate arcades on three storeys. The museum covers the 800-year history of the town and the rule of the Fürstenbergs. Also of interest are the brewery museum and the museum dedicated to the history of the Iron Curtain. The castle tower is well worth climbing for its wonderful panoramic view of the Waldviertel uplands and, beyond the border, the Czech Republic.

Opening hours
May to October
Daily except Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.
Groups welcome at any time; booking essential

It was the Vice Governor or Lower Austria, Ernest Gabmann, who first had the idea of organising a large-scale festival in the Waldviertel. Felix Dvorak, who was very taken with the ambience of the splendid Renaissance courtyard, was assigned directorship of the festival. The weatherproof canopy over the courtyard, the heated flooring and state-of-the-art stage and sound technology were the basic essentials required to realise this project.