Burg Kranichberg

Kranichberg Castle is a hilltop castle about 5 km southeast of Gloggnitz in the cadastral municipality of Kranichberg in the market town of Kirchberg am Wechsel in the district of Neunkirchen in Lower Austria.

The former fortified castle is a three-story building with an approximately square ground plan, has a five-story keep and was probably built at the beginning of the 13th century. The complex also includes an extensive outer castle, through which the road from Gloggnitz leads over the Ramssattel to Kirchberg.

Already around 1150 a Siggefridus de Craneberch appears in documents. The castle was owned by the Lords of Kranichberg. The family also had possessions on the Danube, in the forest and in the Mühlviertel. After the extinction of the Kranichberg branch, Ulrich II of Walsee-Graz is mentioned as lord in 1352. In 1363 Leutold von Stadeck followed. The daughter of the last Stadecker married Ulrich of Montfort in 1400. His father was the famous minnesinger Hugo von Montfort. After 1420 Kranichberg was already sovereign and mortgaged several times.

In 1480 the castle was taken by the Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus and was restored after the Peace of Pressburg in 1491. In 1602 the court chamber sold the dominion to Hans Unterholzer, who had it administered by keepers. In 1661 Johann Franz Count Lamberg came into possession of the castle. In 1745 a fire destroyed large parts of the complex, including the entrance front and the west wing. The then owner Anton Franz Adam Count of Lamberg partially rebuilt the complex in the Baroque style and sold it to the Archdiocese of Vienna in 1769. During the Second World War, the castle was used as quarters for mainly German emigrants from Dobruja. In 1970 the complex was sold by the Archdiocese to a new owner, after which there were several changes of ownership.

Most recently, the facility was used for hospitality purposes; the outer castle housed an upscale hotel, which, however, had been closed for several years. At the beginning of 2018, the castle was sold by the previous owner Astrid Hübner to a married couple. There are plans to establish a doll and toy museum and a meeting center for art and culture in the premises.