Castle Artstetten near Pöchlarn is the residence of the Hohenberg family, the descendants of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie. The family crypt constructed in 1909 is part of the estate, in which the heirs to the throne found their last resting place. They were buried there on 4 July 1914. Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Duchess of Hohenberg were murdered on 28 June 1914 as a result of the assassination of Sarajevo by members of the underground organisation Mlada Bosna (Black Hand), insinuated to have connections to official Serbian authorities. With the death of the heir to the throne, many people no longer saw any hope for domestic political reforms, the stabilisation of the dual monarchy (it suffered under the conflict of nationalities within the Reich), a change to foreign political policies and the maintenance of peace in Europe. With the declaration of war on Serbia by Austria-Hungary, World War I broke out on 28 July 1914 that subsequently caused suffering to millions.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand had taken the decision long before the start of World War I to be buried at Castle Artstetten instead of in the Capuchin Crypt in Vienna where family members of the Habsburg dynasty were usually buried. The reason: his wife Sophie and their children were not allowed to be buried in the Capuchin Crypt because they had an unacceptable marriage according to the social (dynastic) rules of marriage prevalent at the time.