Schwarzau Castle

The Schwarzau Correctional Facility is housed in the building of Schwarzau Castle. This castle was originally an imperial hunting lodge and was gifted to the noble Wurmbrand family at a time between the 13th and 16th centuries that can no longer be precisely dated. Wilhelm Graf von Wurmbrand und Stuppach finally had the basic form of the current building erected in 1567. In 1697, the still-existing Baroque building was constructed, which passed into the possession of Duke Robert of Bourbon-Parma on August 27, 1889. He altered the castle grounds through numerous renovations and additions.

The castle made history when, on October 21, 1911, it became the venue for the marriage of the later Emperor Karl of Austria to Princess Zita of Bourbon-Parma. Shortly after the end of the First World War, the castle was repurposed by its owners into a sanatorium and hospital. After the end of the Second World War, Schwarzau Castle was occupied by the Russian occupying power. On November 24, 1951, the sole owner, Elias von Bourbon-Parma, sold the castle and its grounds to the Republic of Austria.

It was not until December 1957 that the building could be put into operation in its new use as the "Schwarzau Women's Penitentiary". Between 1993 and 1999, with the involvement of the Federal Monuments Office, a general renovation of the castle facilities was carried out, adapting the detention conditions to modern penal enforcement standards. In 2008, a long-term visitor room for family visits was also set up in the Schwarzau Correctional Facility.