Riglmühle

The Rieglmühle stands beside the Maseldorferbach in the hills of Upper Austria, near the border between St Thomas am Blasenstein and Pabneukirchen. It is one of four old mills gathered along this small stream, set in a quiet valley where the Klambach begins its course. The hamlet of Untermaseldorf lies just to the east, while the market town of Pabneukirchen is a short walk away on the other side. A single-lane road crosses the stream on a stone bridge before climbing gently towards the mill buildings. The mill group was rescued between 2007 and 2015 by private owners and placed under Denkmalschutz. The main building is a single-storey baroque structure of 1781, its façade decorated with sgraffito work and its roof clad in larch boards. Inside, original doors and riemling ceilings survive, and an external overshot wheel still turns when water flows. Nearby stand a bakehouse, stables, and a smaller mill with two wheels of its own. The upper millrace still carries water, and a few modern additions sit discreetly among the historic fabric. In 2015 the restoration earned the Upper Austrian regional heritage prize. Visitors cannot enter the private grounds, but the exterior can be admired from the lane and bridge. A short walk west leads to the ruined castle of Klingenberg, perched on its hill 800 metres away. To the east, Pabneukirchen’s market square is 1.4 kilometres along the road. The whole scene remains a peaceful pocket of Upper Austrian rural life, where the past is preserved in wood, stone, and flowing water.