Obermurau Castle

Obermurau Castle was built between 1232 and 1250 by the Lords of Liechtenstein. In 1250, Murau is documented as Mvrowe.

The original complex was located just southeast of the current castle. However, Ulrich von Liechtenstein preferred Frauenburg as his residence. In 1269, the complex was destroyed by King Przemysl Ottokar II because the Styrian nobility had rebelled against him. The Bohemian occupiers remained until 1276. Murau then returned to Ulrich's son Otto II, who immediately began reconstruction. In 1312, the Liechtenstein family split into a Frauenburg and a Murau line.

Due to his high debts, Friedrich II von Liechtenstein had to pledge the lordship to Wulfing von Stubenberg in 1392. During the Hungarian Wars, Niklas von Liechtenstein made Murau available to the Hungarian king as a base in 1487, whereupon he was outlawed by Emperor Friedrich III in 1490. Murau temporarily became princely territory and was administered by a caretaker. In 1495, the Liechtensteins regained their possessions. Christoph II von Liechtenstein married his main creditor Anna Neumann von Wasserleonburg in 1566. In 1574, his brothers sold her the lordship of Murau. When Anna died in 1623, her sixth husband, Georg Ludwig zu Schwarzenberg, inherited the property.

Between 1628 and 1641, he had the current representative complex built next to the Gothic castle by the South German master builder Valentin Kaut. It no longer had any defensive character, which is also emphasized by the absence of a tower. Today, only a few Gothic structural elements of the old castle remain in the northeast corner of the castle, including the so-called torture cellar. The rest was demolished after the new construction. Obermurau still belongs to the Schwarzenberg family today.