Kronest Castle

The castle ruin Kronest (also: Bibrachstein) is located approximately two kilometers north of Neumarkt in the Mühlviertel region of Upper Austria. Kronest Castle was first mentioned in a document around 1334, and by 1609 it was no longer inhabited.

The first documented mention dates back to 1334, when Friedrich Schrautolf, the regional judge of Machland zu Freistadt, received permission from the sovereign to build a castle at this location. Since the land belonged to St. Florian Abbey, he had to pay ten pfennigs in tax to the abbey annually. Additionally, he had to hand over a farmstead as compensation. In 1377, Hans der Lasberger bought the castle (Chranest) and also paid the tax to the abbey. The designation at that time was Schrautolf's Tower, which indicates a former residential tower (turris Schrautolfi). During the Hussite Wars, the castle was damaged, and the defensive tower burned down around 1428. The current name Kronest, meaning "crow's nest," emerged around this time.

Around 1455, a Caspar von Alharting was named as owner. In 1508, the castle was a sovereign fief. In 1527, Veit von Zelking sold half of the castle to the Piberhof and united the castle with the dominion of Weinberg. In the same year, the castle was sold to the Thürheimer family, who acquired Weinberg Castle after the Counter-Reformation. The Thürheimers referred to the castle as Bibrachstein, named after "Bibrachzell" Castle (today "Biberachzell," a district of Weißenhorn in the Neu-Ulm district of Bavarian Swabia), one of their ancestral castles. The latter designation did not prevail.

During the Hussite Wars, Kronest is likely to have been destroyed and burned down. The reddish discoloration on the inside indicates that the fortified residence was destroyed by an explosive fire. The last documented mention dates from 1602, when Kronest is described as a desolate "Stöckl" (small building). Since then, the castle has steadily decayed and is now only a ruin.