Ruine Stubenberg

The Ruine Stubenberg stands in the woods between Kirchau and Haßbach in Warth, Lower Austria. It is the remains of a lowland castle built near a single strong spring. The site is also called Burgruine Gutenbrunn or Burgruine Kirchau after the families who once owned it. The castle began around 1160 under Chuno’s children, who raised a tower to watch the Hochstraß trade route. Mid-13th century the Hungarians destroyed it, but Duke Albrecht rebuilt it in 1320 as a frontier fortress. In 1381 Konrad Perner sold the place to Wulfingen von Stubenberg, though the name Stubenberg only became common later. Visitors today see grass-grown foundations and a few standing walls among the trees. The old spring still flows beside the ruins. A short path leads from the forest edge to the site, where the outline of the great tower is still clear. The quiet woodland setting keeps the remains free from modern intrusions.