The chateau was built by an imperial chancellor on the site of an older residence. The chancellor – who took part in several peace negotiations with the French King and was a general superintendent of the Vienna Academy – built a chateau that exemplified the new Classicism. It was one of the first chateaux to feature a ground plan with a U-shaped ceremonial courtyard. It can be considered as “correspondence architecture”, for the building was designed by a local master builder following a plan sent to him by an architect from the Parisian royal court. The garden was considered one of the most beautiful in the country.