© Sebastian Philipp
The Grafenegg castle grounds offer historical, botanical and very modern impressions in a formidable ensemble. On three circular tours starting at the Wiener Tor and ending at the castle, 300 years of the grounds’ history, rare plants from all over the world, architectural masterpieces and new works of art reveal themselves along 40 ground plates.
The fairytale-like castle is surrounded by hundreds of trees from all over the world, including a couple of rarities. The network of paths, on which you can explore the various phases of the grounds’ development, leads to the newly erected open-air arena, the Wolkenturm. Walking about, you also come across modern works of art – replenished over time and always surprising – like the Buchsdom Tower by US American artist Mark Dion, a unique ensemble of nature and human creative power.
Every year, the annual Grafenegg Composer in Residence plants a tree that is typical of their country:
2007 • Krzysztof Penderecki • Catalpa erubescens Purpurea
2008 • Heinz Holliger • Paulownia tomentosa
2009 • Tan Dun • Davidia involucrata
2010 • Cristóbal Halffter • Castanea sativa
2011 • HK Gruber • Ginkgo biloba
2012 • James MacMillan • Pinus silvestris
2013 • Brett Dean • Fraxinus angustifolia «Raywood»
2014 • Jörg Widmann • Tilia cordata Erecta
2015 • Matthias Pintscher • Salix alba tristis
2016 • Christian Jost • Betula papyrifera
2017 • Brad Lubman • Salix Babylonica tristis
2018 • Ryan Wigglesworth • Quercus robur
2019 • Peter Ruzicka • Aesculus rubicunda
2020 • Konstantía Gourzí • Juglans regia
2021 • Toshio Hosokawa • Tokio-Kirsche Prunus yedoensis
The grounds are open to the public all year round. On afternoons with events taking place on the Wolkenturm, the complex is only accessible with a ticket to the concert.
