The Austro-Hungarian Empire built this fortress between 1852 and 1854, one of several citadels ordered for major cities across the empire after the revolutionary uprisings of 1848 raised fears of further internal unrest. Archduke Maximilian d’Este oversaw the design, and the resulting Maximilian Tower still stands as one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century military architecture in the region.
The site’s history took a far darker turn during the Second World War, when occupying Nazi forces converted it into Stalag 328, a camp that held Soviet, French, Belgian, and Italian prisoners of war, a chapter the property acknowledges as part of its documented past. After decades of Soviet-era use as warehouse space, investors converted the fortress into a hotel in the early 2000s, incorporating the original six-foot-thick walls and curved corridors into 26 guest rooms. It’s been a Historic Hotels Worldwide member since 2013.