Prof. Anton Lehmden (1929 to 2018) was a co-founder of the "Viennese School of Fantastic Realism" and a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna from 1971 to 1997. He participated in countless exhibitions at home and abroad and received numerous awards.
When Deutschkreutz Castle came into his possession in 1966, it was in a very poor condition. Restoration eventually became Lehmden's life's work, to which he devoted himself until his death.
In contrast to a specially built and furnished museum, the visitor experiences the life's work of a fantasist: the persistent and authentic preservation of a formerly, almost hopelessly desolate castle, abandoned to progressive decay, by an artist's expert hand. The artistic design of the restored interiors and the numerous paintings by the artist, exhibited on 800 m² of exhibition space, coupled with the formative influence he exerted on his surroundings (including the clay church in Deutschkreutz), result in a total work of art. It is "lived art" that one encounters here in Deutschkreutz Castle and which is probably unique in Austria and beyond.
Admission only with guided tour by appointment at the Tourist Office Deutschkreutz
Tel +43 2613 20200 or lehmden@schlossdeutschkreutz.at or mobile + 43 699 11863207