Esterhazy

The company that manages the estate of the Esterházy princes, the family for which Joseph Haydn was kapellmeister for thirty years. It opens four places in Burgenland to the public: the Eisenstadt palace, Forchtenstein castle, Schloss Lackenbach and the Roman quarry of St. Margarethen, where opera is staged in summer.

Who they are

Behind it is Esterhazy Betriebe AG, headquartered at Esterhazyplatz 5 in Eisenstadt, the company that operates the assets of the Esterházy foundations. According to its own website, it was Melinda Esterházy who from 1994 moved the family's historic estate into private foundations. Besides the palaces and castles, the group has a winery, the nature brand Pannatura and a real-estate business, and organises a classical concert season, the autumn festival Herbstgold, the piano festival Keys to Heaven and Advent markets at several of its sites.

What can be visited and when

Schloss Esterházy, in the centre of Eisenstadt, is the palace where Haydn worked, with the Haydn Hall and the state rooms on the first floor. From April to October the ticket office is open daily from 9:30 to 16:00. In November and December the palace opens at weekends and public holidays from 10:00 to 16:00, and on weekdays only with the winter tour at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00. Admission costs €19 without a tour and €25 with a guided tour; €16 and €21 reduced for seniors and students, and €44 and €60 for the family, for two adults and up to three children. Children under 6 enter free.

Burg Forchtenstein holds the family's armoury and treasury. You can enter with or without a guide in season: from May to September there are daily tours in German at 11:00, 13:00 and 16:00, plus one at 14:00 from Friday to Sunday, and in Hungarian at 12:00 and 15:00. The treasury has its own tour, from April to October. In winter it opens only at weekends and public holidays with two winter tours, at 11:00 and 13:00, and then you cannot go independently. Prices are the same as at the palace.

Schloss Lackenbach opens in winter Thursday to Sunday, and the St. Margarethen quarry closes in winter until April and in summer hosts open-air opera.

Tours, languages and groups

Public tours are in German and Hungarian; at the palace there is one in English every day at 13:00, and at Forchtenstein English is by request, although they give you a leaflet in your language to follow the tour. There are no public tours in Spanish. There are also tours with guides in costume on Sundays at 14:00, family tours and a seated tour for people with reduced mobility. Groups have their own price from 15 people and must give notice beforehand with the website form.

Accessibility, booking and contact

At the palace the Haydn explosiv exhibition is at street level and the first floor is accessible with prior notice; baby pushchairs and animals are not allowed, except assistance dogs. Forchtenstein is not fully accessible because of its construction, but offers an adapted one-hour tour if requested when booking. With the Burgenland Card, the Niederösterreich Card or the Steiermark Card, entry without a tour is free. The palace can be reached on +43 2682 63004 7600 and at [email protected]; Forchtenstein, on +43 2626 81212 and at [email protected]. Concert tickets are sold on the website.