Mühlleiten Castle

The Freisitz Mühlleiten (Gmunden), also known as Schloss Mühlleiten (Mühlleuthen), "Kurzmühle" or "Plassmühle", is located in the Traundorf district of the city of Gmunden in Upper Austria (Kurzmühlgasse 6).

In 1305, the noble family of Mühlwanger, named after Mühlwang in Traundorf, was first mentioned in a document. Around 1550, the Mühlwanger appear as the first owners of Mühlleiten. Subsequently, the Jörger family owned the Freisitz Mühlleiten, which belonged as a subordinate property to the Neydharting dominion. Other owners include: Wolfgang Pagkhl or Plankhl (1565), Hans Schintler (1575), Count Schernberg (1580); Sebastian von Seeau acquired the Freisitz in 1603. He was followed by Abraham von Rohrbach and Marbach zu Ebenzweier (1607). Weikhart Plass († July 24, 1621) acquired Mühlleuthen in 1610. He was a servant of His Roman Imperial Majesty, Roman Imperial tax collector of the Gmunden salt office, and administrator of Puchheim. He was married to Katharina, daughter of Achaz II. Seeauer († ~1600), and they had 16 children, including Zacharias, Hanns, Ermail, Ferdinand, Helfreich, Ott, Maximilian Georg, Adelheid, Lina, Regina Sabina, and Susanna Catharina. An alliance coat of arms of a Plass on Mühlleuthen is located to the right of the entrance of Freisitz Roith. From 1619 to 1710, Mühlleiten was in the family possession of the von Seeau family or their relatives. Hans II. and Hanns III. Seeauer von Seeau acquired the predicate "von Mühlleuthen" in 1612. Eva Regina Schmidt, daughter of Weikhart Plass and Katharina Seeauer, owned Mühlleuten in 1621. She was followed in 1658 by Regina Plassin, born Nützin von Goisernburg, married to Georg Adalbert Plass zu Mühlleiten and Roith, "imperial toll collector in Gmunden and administrator". Sabina Ziepelin, born Plassin, married to Johann Ziepili, city judge in Gmunden, owned Mühlleuten in 1663. Maximilian Ernst Schmidt von Schmidtberg, "imperial chief water supervisor on the outer Traun", acquired Mühlleuten in 1688.

Max Schmid von Schmidberg sold the Freisitz Mühlleithen to Katharina Plamberger in 1710, but bought it back from her in 1725. Katharina Plambergerin, daughter-in-law of Schmidt von Schmidtberg, owned Mühlleuten in 1710. Johanna Gnadlstorferin, whose heirs sold Mühlleiten in 1723 to Ferdinand Andrä Schmidt von Schmidtberg, "underwater supervisor at the outer Traun". In 1740, Mühlleuten was owned by Johann Ferdinand Schmidt von Schmidtberg (son). In 1760, Konrad Leopold Scherrer (brother-in-law of Johann Ferdinand), "administrator cashier in Ebensee", acquired Mühlleuten. In 1781, the widow Barbara Scherrer, born Schmidt von Schmidtberg, was in possession of Mühlleuten. In 1791, Mühlleuten came to Franz Paul Scherrer by inheritance. However, Mühlleiten had long been a mill. In 1827, Franz Kurz, a miller in Hallstatt, acquired Mühlleuten by auction. Since then, Mühlleuten has also been popularly known as "Kurzmühle". In 1845, Mühlleuten came to Raimund Kurz by inheritance. The heirs of Raimund Kurz sold Mühlleuten in 1880 to the paper factory Eichmann und Companie in Arnau an der Elbe. Subsequently, Mühlleuten was converted into a sawmill with turbine drive, and then in 1888 into a wood grinding mill. This was leased in 1897 to the Papierfabriks-Actiengesellschaft "Styrermühle" and acquired in 1901 by the Papierfabrik Steyrermühl.

Otto Reichsgraf von Seeau died in Linz in 1884 as the last Baron zu Mühlleuthen, Baron auf Würting, and Baron auf Helfenberg and Piberstein. The property then came into the possession of the Tausch family.