Schlosshotel Rosenau in the Waldviertel in Austria

Schlosshotel Rosenau for connoisseurs and Freemasons

"What do Freemasons and connoisseurs have in common?" You will surely ask yourself. Our answer is: “The Schlosshotel Rosenau in Waldviertel. “This castle hotel, which goes back to one of the typical square courtyards of the region and was expanded into a renaissance castle in the 16th century, has undergone several renovations. In the 18th century, the Baroque master builder Munggenast modernized it, and you can still admire the castle with this splendid interior.

Its noble owners changed as often as its appearance, until it was finally transferred to the country's settlement society in 1964 by Baron Lazarini Lower Austria was sold. The castle is still in their possession today. After extensive renovation work that spanned ten years, the castle hotel and restaurant opened its doors in 1974. The Austrian Freemason Museum followed a year later, which today occupies a wing of the castle.

Bust in the Masonic Museum in the Rosenau Castle Hotel

The Masonic Museum in the Masonic Lodge

We are allowed to look at the Freemasons' rooms outside of the opening hours because we are leaving early the next day. And we learn a lot about the history of Freemasons in Austria and around the world. The rooms in which the museum is housed are original ceremonial rooms in which the Freemasons held their meetings at Rosenau Castle and where they still meet today. There is a changing room where the ceremonial robes are put on. We see the symbols of the Freemasons: compass, hammer and yardstick. And we learn a lot about the conspiracy theories that have grown up around the Freemasons and their machinations throughout history.

Compasses, hammer, trowel and apron - ceremonial objects of the Freemasons — Compasses, hammer, master trowel and apron - ceremonial objects of the Freemasons

But we don't want to believe it completely. For that there is far too much envy and narrow-mindedness in thinking, while we are more than impressed by the names of the men who are attributed to the Freemasons: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is said to have been one of them, as well as Joseph Haydn. They belonged to the Viennese elite lodge, along with well-known doctors and writers of the time.

We read a lot about how the Catholic Church pursued the freemasons' free-thinking tendencies during the Enlightenment and how their tolerance and pacifism have troubled them over and over again in the course of history because small minds could not accept this. A visit to the Freemason Museum in Rosenau Castle demonstrates how envy and faint-heartedness defend themselves against free-spirited tendencies. The museum is definitely worth a visit.

Schlosshotel Rosenau offers gourmet rooms

Schlosshotel Rosenau is not only a museum, but also an elegant and very well-kept hotel. In addition, it offers excellent cuisine with excellent service, so that wellbeing becomes the measure of all things here. We have rarely felt so well looked after and so welcome as in this hotel. This is also thanks to the current tenant of the castle hotel: Ms. Margit Zulehner.

In person, she greets us charmingly with a glass of sparkling wine when we arrive at the hotel in the late afternoon after an interesting and varied day. She leads us to our rooms and shows us the facilities of the hotel: the wellness area and the spacious inner courtyard, the restaurant and of course our rooms. We spend the night in the rose room, in which, how could it be otherwise, the rose plays the main role. Pink-colored wallpapers show the flower as well as the comfortable bed linen of our historical wooden bed.

A lively welcome to the Schlosshotel Rosenau

We admire how well-kept the whole complex is and how modern the furnishings are, both in our room and in all other areas of the hotel that we get to know during our stay. No trace of historical dustiness. The only downer for us as bloggers: the thick walls of the historic building do not allow wifi access for our laptop. On the other hand, I don't think it's so bad in this environment, because it gives me the opportunity to really enjoy the ambience of the castle and the offers that we get to know here: an excellent dinner - Waldviertel Backhendl for Petar and Tafelspitz for me - and ours cozy connoisseur room with its spacious wing chair, in which I snuggle up and try to find out more about the history of the castle and the Freemasons.

The rose room, one of the gourmet rooms in the Schlosshotel Rosenau

Get married in the Schlosshotel Rosenau

One of the specialties at Schlosshotel Rosenau is the organization of weddings. While bride and groom give each other in the castle chapel, the cooks prepare an opulent meal. In memory of the big day, the bride and groom plant their own rosebush in the park of the castle and afterwards they celebrate in an elegant environment. It must be nice to celebrate the beginning of his marriage here. But other guests also feel comfortable here: as we sit at dinner, we share the dining room with an older couple and a young couple.

If the night in the castle hotel is too historic, you can also spend the night in the neighboring residence hotel, which also belongs to the castle grounds and is located in the old dairy farm. There, the rooms are more modern, and the standard is also that of a good four-star hotel.

When we leave early the next morning, it's hard for us to say goodbye and we're sure we'll come back here.

Castle Hotel Rosenau
Schloss Rosenau 1
3924 castle Rosenau
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