Lamberg Castle

Lamberg Castle is a castle in Steyr, Upper Austria. It is situated on a high terrace above the confluence of the Steyr and Enns rivers. The castle originated from the Styraburg, which gave its name to the city of Steyr and the federal state of Styria. Since the building was owned by the Lamberg family from 1666 to 1938, their name was transferred to the castle.

The Styraburg, Stiraburg, Styrapurg, or Styrapurch, was built at the beginning of the 10th century and first mentioned in a document in 985. It belonged to the Traungau counts (Otakars). In 1078, Otakar II is first mentioned in a document. In 1079, the Styraburg became his residence. In 1192, the castle came into the possession of the Babenbergs, and later the Habsburgs, due to the Georgenberg Charter. In 1666, the castle and its dominion came into the possession of the Counts of Lamberg. In 1727, the complex was destroyed by a fire and rebuilt by Johann Michael Prunner. Around 1750, the dominion belonging to the castle was the largest landed estate in Upper Austria. The castle was severely damaged during the Coalition Wars in 1800, 1805, and 1809. The Roman Tower received its current distinctive crenellated platform after the city fire of 1824.

Vollrat Count Lamberg sold Lamberg Castle, along with its extensive forest holdings in the Enns and Steyr valleys, to the German Reich (Deutsche Reichsforste) in 1938. After World War II, Lamberg Castle initially came into the possession of the state of Upper Austria and in 1961, the Federal Forests. On the occasion of Steyr's 1000th anniversary in 1980, the castle was restored starting in 1977 – in 1980, it hosted the provincial exhibition on the Hallstatt culture.

Today, it is used for cultural events, among other things.

Founding Legends

In the legend of Biterolf and Dietleib, the founding of the castle is associated with Attila the Hun King, who appears here as Etzel. The Visigoth Biterolf was Prince of Toledo, but for several years participated in Etzel's campaigns as part of his retinue. He left behind his wife Dietlinde, his son Dietleib, and his daughter Künhilde. When Dietleib had grown up, he left home against his mother's will and sought his father. After a stopover at King Gunther's court in Worms on the Rhine, he finally arrived at Etzel's court, where Margrave Rüdiger of Pechlarn greeted him. Like his father, he joined Etzel's enterprises and distinguished himself, like Biterolf, in a Polish campaign. However, since neither father nor son knew each other, Rüdiger of Pechlarn mediated this. After returning to the court, which is said to have been located in the lowlands between the Danube and the Theiss, Etzel rewarded Biterolf with the Steyerland. Father and son then built the Steyrburg on the rocky outcrop and named the land Styria. Afterwards, they rode back to Spain and brought Dietlinde and Künhilde to them. This tradition is then followed by the legend of the abduction of the beautiful Künhilde by the dwarf king Laurin.

Another tradition seeks to explain the castle's building site: Two brothers, both knights, rode through the area on horseback. When they reached the Tabor (the place where the Tabor Tower stands today), one decided to build the castle here on the hill, as this place was the most beautiful. His brother, however, insisted on the rocky outcrop at the confluence of the Enns and Steyr, as a safer building site. When they could not agree, they decided to fight, and according to the will of the victor, the castle was built on the rocky outcrop.