Schloss Haus

Schloss Haus stands in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria, south of Wartberg ob der Aist. It began as a medieval castle owned by the Hauser family, who were burgraves in Steyr. By the 13th century the family had gained a fearsome reputation as robber knights, even reversing horseshoes to mislead passing merchants. The castle later became a provincial fief of Freistadt and passed through several noble families, including the Sinzendorfer and Schweinböck. In 1575 Hannes von Landau was raised to Freiherr for his castle at Rappottenstein, and his descendants kept Haus until the early 17th century. The present three-winged building dates from 1721–1729, when Count Gundaker Thomas von Starhemberg commissioned the Linz master builder Michael Pruckmayr to replace the old structure. Before 1750 the castle served as the administrative seat for the markets of Gutau, Perg and Pregarten. In the 19th century it underwent further alterations and briefly housed a railway halt on the Summerauer line. From 1896 to 1911 the painter Jakob Weeser-Krell ran an art institute in the building, which later became a children’s home and then a military barracks. Visitors enter beneath two heraldic lions standing on columns, each holding the Starhemberg coat of arms. Above the door is the provincial arms of Upper Austria, marking the state’s current ownership. Inside, the reception hall contains an old suit of armour, and the arcaded inner courtyard leads to the main rooms. The surrounding park and the nearby halt, about 300 metres away, complete the scene.