Schauenstein Castle

Schauenstein was probably built around the middle of the 12th century. Schauenstein was a fief of the territorial princes and was usually given to their ministeriales. In 1175, Poppo de Sowenstaine appears as a witness in a document.

In 1275, Schauenstein was owned by Hadmar von Sonnberg from the Kuenringer family. In 1411, Matthias von Rohr was enfeoffed with the castle by Duke Albrecht IV. His son Tobias sold it in 1430 to Leopold von Krayg. From 1467, it was owned by Ulrich von Grafenegg. Since he actively supported Matthias Corvinus from 1472, the imperial field captain Jobst Hauser conquered the fortress in 1476 on behalf of Frederick III and partially destroyed it. Subsequently, the castle was rebuilt.

It now remained princely property and was mostly administered by stewards, unless the emperor had just pledged it. Soon it again fell into the hands of the Hungarian king's followers, who even briefly possessed it as a pledge. When the Hungarians were finally expelled in 1491, Johann von Lamberg became the new pledge holder. He was followed by Rudolf von Hohenfeld. He and Jakob Landsiedl, who held Schauenstein as a pledge after 1553, had the castle extensively expanded. Hans Georg III Baron von Kuefstein bought his property from Jakob Landsiedl in 1574. Due to intrigues at the imperial court, however, it was not until 1622 that his son Jakob von Kuefstein was able to finally take over Schauenstein.

In 1699, it became part of the newly created family fideicommissum and has remained connected with the Greillenstein lordship to this day. However, the castle had already lost its military significance before then. Since the Thirty Years' War, in which the Waldviertel was devastated by the Swedes in 1645/46, its decay could no longer be stopped. For several decades, the castle has been looked after by a local association that has secured and restored the buildings.