Reichenstein Castle

Reichenstein Castle, locally known as Burg or Schloss Reichenstein, lies in the village of the same name, in the province of Upper Austria in Austria.

An Ulrich von Reichenstein was first mentioned in 1230. He probably built the castle between 1230 and 1300. Several other families followed as owners of the castle; the Lords of Capellen, the Lords of Wallsee, and the House of Liechtenstein.

In 1567, Reichenstein Castle was acquired by a Styrian knight, Christoph Haym. He had the medieval castle completely rebuilt into a  Renaissance-style residence within 3 years. He was only able to do this by increasing the taxes and demanding socage tenure of his subjects. This led to the Reichenstein Socage Uprising between 1569 and 1582, in which his subjects rebelled. In 1571, Haym was shot during an ambush.

The castle passed to the House of Starhemberg in 1729. They abandoned the castle in 1750, after which it fell into ruin. It was partially restored in the last few decades.

At present, the subterranean part of Reichenstein Castle houses a nice museum about castles in Upper Austria. Another part can not be visited, and another part can be visited for a small fee. A nice castle, especially in combination with the museum.

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