Burg Freundsberg, Medieval castle and museum in Schwaz, Austria

Burg Freundsberg is a hilltop castle and local museum on a steep hill about 170 m above the Inn Valley floor at the southern edge of Schwaz. Its oldest part is a five-storey, 28 m residential tower from 1150, which still shows traces of original fresco painting. A chapel stands beside it, and a late-Renaissance castle church was added between 1634 and 1637.

Burg Freundsberg was founded in 1150 by the lords of Freundsberg; the original keep, 28 m tall, survives with parts of its early frescoes. In 1467 the castle was sold to Archduke Sigismund the Rich, who rebuilt it and for a time called it Sigmundsruh. A late-Renaissance castle church was built between 1634 and 1637. Since 1812 the site has belonged to the town of Schwaz, which began restoring it in 1966.

The museum displays exhibits about silver mining traditions that shaped the region and its people over centuries. Visitors can explore this craft heritage through artifacts and historical records on display.

The castle stands on a steep hill about 170 m above the Inn Valley floor, so the climb from Schwaz is on foot and the courtyard and ground-floor rooms serve as a restaurant. The keep and chapel are reached by internal staircases. The site has been owned by the municipality of Schwaz since 1812.

The residential tower reaches at least 28 meters high and offers sweeping views of the Inn Valley from its top. This vantage point was historically crucial for controlling trade routes and surveying the surrounding lands.