Schloss Leombach

Schloss Leombach lies in the village of Leombach, part of Sipbachzell south-east of Wels in Upper Austria. Once a grand water castle, only a converted manor wing and the castle chapel remain today. The site once stood on an island surrounded by a wide moat fed by a dam and causeway. The castle’s history reaches back to at least the late 8th century, when Charlemagne confirmed lands here to Kremsmünster Abbey. By 1213 it appears as a fortress held by Walchun of Leubenbach, later passing through the hands of the Walsee, Meurl and Schallenberg families. In the 17th century the owners rebuilt it as a baroque water palace before the abbey regained control in 1710. The last remnants still recall its days as a major fortified island seat. Visitors today find a quiet residential building where the main wing once stood, its moat now reduced to a small pond. The medieval chapel survives but remains locked. Nearby, a modern housing estate covers part of the old island, and a traditional inn marks the site of the former castle tavern. The open area invites a short stroll around the modest water feature that once defended a much larger stronghold.