Greinburg
1488, Emperor Frederick III permitted the brothers Heinrich and Siegmund Prüschenk, free lords of Stettenberg, to build the castle. The castle was supposed to serve to secure the area Machland against Czech, Hungarian and Turkish invasions. It was initially called Stettenfels, then Heinrichsburg, and the name Greinburg was used only from 1533 when the castle was acquired by Imperial Councillor, Burgrave of Enns, and the provincial administrator of Swabia, Johann Leble (Löbl).
Under his ownership, the castle gained most of its present appearance. From 1621 Count Leonhard Helfrich von Meggau was the owner and had the castle rebuilt in Renaissance style. His daughter, Anna, married Siegmund Ludwig of Dietrichstein, at which point Greinburg became the property of the Dietrichstein family. 1709 Franz Ferdinand, the Count of Salburg, bought the castle. 100 years later, the castle was inherited by Prince Josef Karel of Ditrichstein, who in 1817 sold it to the army contractor and mayor of Hainburg, Michael Fink.
1823 Duke Ernst I of the Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha family acquired the Greinburg castle and estate. His sons Ernst II and Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria of Britain, inherited it after him. As a result, Queen Victoria became the co-owner of the castle after her husband’s early death.
Today, the castle is owned by the descendants of the fourth son of Victoria and Albert – Prince Leopold, who holds the title Duke of Albany. The castle maintenance is funded by the Family Foundation of the Dukes of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha.
The head of the family is Andreas Prince of Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha.
Points of interest
The newly restored castle impressively guards the small town of Grein beneath it. The magnificent three-storey Renaissance arcade courtyard is certainly worth inspection. The visitor will be impressed by the size of the knight’s hall, which is adjacent to the castle chapel with its early Baroque Christmas altar. The “Sala Terrena” stone theater, decorated with mosaics made from Danube pebbles and the unique cellar vault with its fascinating play of light and shadow, are also considered an extraordinary experience.
The ceremonial spaces of the Coburg family with their valuable furnishings and portraits of famous family members can only be viewed during a guided tour. Also visit the Upper Austrian Shipping Museum. It focuses on transportation along the Danube and its tributaries, the Traun and Enns Rivers.