The building was built by the Habsburg Duke Rudolf IV between 1363 and 1397.
The chapel dates from after 1400, the keep from 1397. Until 1700 the castle was part of the sovereignty. It later came into the possession of the noble families Harrach and Kinsky until the manorial rulers were abolished in 1848. The city of Freistadt bought it in 1798 and it has belonged to the federal government since 1853.
From 1801 to 1924 the castle was used as a barracks, since 1924 various offices have been based here, such as the tax office.
The museum currently manages around 29,000 objects, more than 13,000 relevant books and around 18,000 image documents
The Mühlviertler Schlossmuseum houses the history of the city, from folklore to everyday culture, from the Middle Ages to the present day.
The historical knowledge of our region is collected, processed, stored, communicated and researched here in the castle.
The inner courtyard of the castle / museum
Cermamic products were created around this area – the items on the left and right are home heaters where you light a fire inside them
The increasing traffic of goods in cities created a demand for public standards of measurements in the middle ages
Each city and state had its own weight system
The merchants who sold their goods in a city needed to learn and accept that citys standard of measurement
Beautiful paintings all over the walls on one of the the floors
Freistadt paintings
Wooden stairs built on each level and the items neatly displaced
The guard stayed here and kept watch over the town from this tower
The top floor was my favourite! with pics of maps on the walls and roof and the look out tower was here
I spent a lot of time in this museum it was huge! it went up around 7-8 stories and at the top got a great view of the town – well worth it
The Wandering Passport 