Wildberg Castle

Wildberg Castle, locally known as Burg or Schloss Wildberg, lies in the municipality of Kirchschlag bei Linz, in the province of Upper Austria in Austria.

Wildberg Castle was first mentioned in 1145. It was built on a ridge in the Haselgraben valley, through which led an ancient trade route between Bohemia and Upper Austria. Its builders were the free knights of Haunsperger. In 1198, it passed to Gundaker II von Steyr, considered the ancestor of the later House of Starhemberg. Wildberg is the oldest seat that is still owned by the Starhemberg family to this day.

In July 1394, Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia, the son of the late Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, was captured near Prague by rebellious nobles. They handed Wenceslaus over to Kaspar and Gundaker of Starhemberg, who imprisoned him in the keep of Wildberg Castle. Wenceslaus was released a month later, at the urging of German princes.

In the mid-16th century, an arcaded Renaissance-style building was built between the keep and the Gothic castle. In 1654, the castle suffered damage from a fire. A residential castle was built on the site of the former bailey in 1664-65.

In the early 1920s, the palace roof collapsed, causing the southern part of the castle to fall into ruin.

At present, Wildberg Castle is a private property and can therefore not be visited, only during special cultural events. Such a pity because it looks very nice.

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