Waxenberg Castle

Waxenberg Castle is located in the town center of Waxenberg in the municipality of Oberneukirchen in Upper Austria's Mühlviertel region. The castle was built in the 17th century below Waxenberg Fortress and served as the seat of the Waxenberg dominion between 1756 and 1848. In 1910, the castle was expanded and is now used for events. It is owned by the Starhemberg family.

The castle was presumably built in the 17th century by the Lords of Gera. They also owned Waxenberg Fortress and built the castle about 200 meters away, below the fortress. When the fortress was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1756, the Starhemberg family, who had owned Waxenberg since 1640, moved into the castle and expanded it. The castle chapel has served as the local parish church since 1784. It is the last private patronage of the Starhemberg family. Between 1908 and 1910, a further expansion of the castle took place, with the new castle being built north of the old one.

In the interwar period (1918–1938), Prince Ernst Rüdiger von Starhemberg used the castle as a base for the Heimwehr, which he led. In 1938, the castle was expropriated by the National Socialists and made available to the Volksfürsorge (People's Welfare). After the Second World War, it was returned to the Starhembergs. Between 1948 and 1968, the building was used by the Association of War Blind, then renovated several times, and is now used for events.