Schlüßlberg Castle

Schloss Schlüßlberg is located in the municipality of the same name in the Grieskirchen district of Upper Austria, on the foothills of the Müllerberge mountains.

The first documented mention dates back to 1150 from Mondsee Abbey; at that time, a Herwort and Walchun de sluzilberch are named, who are considered the builders of the fortress. The purpose of this castle was to block access to the Trattnachtal valley. The Schlüßlbergers were a peasant family who rose to knighthood in the 14th century. It is assumed that they were originally vassals of Mondsee. However, in the feudal register of Duke Albrecht III, a Hans, a Chunrad, and an Ulrich von Schlüßlberg are mentioned in 1380 and 1395. The Schlüßlbergers were followed in 1404 by Rudolf der Schifer. Erasmus von Hohenfeld († 1461), administrator of the Passau lordship of Ebelsberg, bought the property from Rudolf Schifer's daughter Agnes on October 7, 1429. He had the Gothic chapel built. His son Christoph, administrator of Wels, sold the castle in 1472 to Christoff Jörger. On June 5, 1492, Wolfgang Prugkner and his wife Barbara acquired the castle. In 1503, Schlüßlberg came to the Linz city judge Andreas Pruckner and his wife Magdalena.

The castle then came into the possession of the imperial councilor Hans Hoffmann in 1533 through inheritance. Magdalena Hoffmann married Sebastian Sigmair, who subsequently called themselves Siegmar von Schlüßlberg. Both were Protestants and had to emigrate to Regensburg. In 1638, the property was sold off to Sebastian Helfried von Wopping due to the impending Counter-Reformation; in 1650, the castle first came to Georg Ludwig von Oed and in the same year to Seyfried Hager von Allentsteig. The latter is likely to have converted the castle into a palace. In 1668, the property came to the Barons von Hoheneck. Johann Georg Adam Freiherr von Hoheneck († 1754) elevated Schlüßlberg in 1718, along with the properties of Trattenegg and Wasserschloss Gallspach, to a majorate. Since his sons Johann Georg Emanuel and Georg Achaz were without heirs, the property passed to their sister Maria Anna and, through marriage in 1754, to Ferdinand Freiherr von Imsland. In 1878, the castle was acquired by Count Siegmund Engl through marriage. Schlüßlberg remained in the possession of this family until 1912. The successor was then Sigismund Freiherr von Schneeberg († 1932). From him, the property passed to Hofrat Oswald Graf Spiegelfeld-Hoheneck (district administrator of Grieskirchen from 1936 to 1938, † 1965). He was succeeded by his son Sigmund; his mother Clothilde was a born Baroness von Gesau. The majorate existed until 1938.