Esterházy as a pre-eminent patron of culture

Palaces, castles and collections form part of the Esterházy Private Foundation, which has taken on the task of sustaining and researching the cultural heritage and making it accessible to the public. The Esterházy Private Foundation owns the castles and palaces in Lackenbach, Landsee, Forchtenstein, Eisenstadt and the Roman quarry in St. Margarethen, the family tombs in Eisenstadt and Fertöd and the chapel in the Maierhof in Eisenstadt.

The exhibitions, museums and events at Forchtenstein Castle, Lackenbach Palace and Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt operated by the Esterházy Private Foundation draw more than 160,000 visitors every year. Another 50,000 people per annum visit the locations curated and financed by Esterházy, including the Landsee castle ruins and the St Margarethen quarry.

In addition, Esterházy is the owner and organiser of cultural platforms that are regular crowd-pullers, such as the opera festival in St. Margarethen, and the children and family weekends “Forchtenstein Fantastic”, which again attract around 280,000 guests to Burgenland. Thus with its 500,000 direct or indirect visitors, Esterházy has become an indispensable part of cultural life in the east of Austria.

Tradition of the patronage of arts and culture

The 400 years of tradition in the patronage of art and culture and the great financial investment are to continue also in the future. The cultural foundation sees it as its mission to preserve the cultural heritage and make it accessible to the public.