Burgruine Reichenau

The Burgruine Reichenau stands on a wooded hill 730 metres above sea level in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. It overlooks the narrow valley where the Große Gusen river forms from the Rohrbach and Grasbach streams. The name Reichenau comes from the medieval word for a watery meadow, recalling the fertile fields once planted with vines. A wooden predecessor was mentioned in 1209, but the stone castle was built in 1315 by Walther von Marschalich for the Bishops of Passau. After several changes of ownership, the Starhemberg family bought it in 1630 and used it as a hunting lodge. The ruins still show the 1521 ring wall and the hollow bergfried on the west wing. Inside the courtyard stands a 16th-century oriel and stair-tower that once housed the Starhemberg staff. The Gothic chapel survives only as inner walls, part of which fell into the moat in 1964. The courtyard now serves as an open-air stage for the annual Burgfestspiele Reichenau. A footpath numbered 60 leads from the village up to the site. Visitors walk through the ruined main hall without floors and past the empty tower. The moat and traces of the drawbridge remain around the perimeter. The best-preserved section before later repairs was the gatehouse where workers once lived. From the hilltop the view extends over the valley and the surrounding farmland.