Breitenbruck Castle

Schloss Breitenbruck stands on a gentle slope above the Great Gusen river in Upper Austria. It began as a fortified manor in the 13th century and once controlled a bridge over the water. The site sits about ten metres above the valley floor and is surrounded by meadows, with the river flowing past on the east side. The building’s history includes destruction during the Hussite wars, several noble owners, and a slow decline after it lost its administrative role in the 17th century. In the 19th century two farmers bought the ruins and turned it into a working farm. Today parts of the old defences remain, though the top storey and much of the outer wall have gone. Inside the irregular octagon of walls, visitors see two sundials marking morning and afternoon hours. The entrance tower still rises two storeys, its outside edges rounded and clad in wood. Below, a vaulted cellar holds stone columns, and the first floor rooms preserve original beams and a former chapel’s ribbed ceiling. Outside, faded murals cling to the courtyard walls and old windows look out from the thick masonry.