Burg Güssing was built in 1157 on a steeply rising volcano mound, as a defensive structure, and was extended in the 16^th century into a fortress for Prince Batthyány. It is an ideal destination for family trips, since it has something to offer for all age groups.

The castle museum
Besides the ancestral gallery of the Batthyány family, the castle museum houses exhibits from the renaissance and the baroque period. Particular treasures include two portraits by Lucas Cranach the elder; a wood relief, “The visitation of Mary”, from the Danube school (around 1500); baroque decorative glass produced using the “schwarzlot” technique; two chess sets from the 17^th and 18^th centuries; and a fully functional chest organ from the 16^th century.

In 1990 for the first time, there was a provincial exhibition in the rooms of Burg Güssing. This exhibition, on the theme of “Knights”, attracted around 200,000 visitors. Since 1999, under the title “Princely Passions”, for the first time we have seen the largest and most important collection of paintings and furniture in the Burgenland region.

Current exhibitions
The most important and largest collection of cast iron art works from German, Austrian, Hungarian and Russian foundries from the 18^th and 19^th centuries in Europe is showcased in the special exhibition of “Art castings”. The exhibition is wholly designed according to modern perspectives, and grants an insight into the technology of the casting processes, how these products were worked, and the craftsmen, workers and artists working in the background. The approximately 800 objects that are exhibited range from ornaments to mortars, and from pin cushions to stoves.

Also running is the special exhibition “Princely collecting passions: Art – Music – Books – Food – Hunting”. Works by renowned painters, with religious and historical-military connections, are displayed in the gallery of paintings in the large knights’ hall. Special rarities such as a playable “Phonola” or works by Cordiganano, Krassing etc. can be admired in the music room, the library and the gallery of the 19^th and 20^th centuries. Trough the bedroom that is furnished with renaissance furnishings, visitors to Burg Güssing enter the 16^th century. The “Batthyàny service” that is on display in the dining room, and which was produced by the renowned porcelain manufacturers Ehrend of Hungary from the first half of the 19^th century, as well as a hunting room equipped complete with an extensive collection of trophies and atmospheric oil paintings, provide a deep insight into the passion of the early ruling houses of this region for collecting things.

One can also view the castle chapel, with its neo-Gothic interior and baroque altar. A climb up to the bell tower is recommended: from here, one has a wonderful panoramic view as far as the Pannonian lowland plain.