Kronburg, Zams, Medieval castle ruins in Zams, Austria.

Kronburg is a castle ruin set on a steep rocky peak above the town of Zams, in the Austrian Inn Valley. What remains today includes sections of outer walls, a gatehouse, and semicircular towers with arrow slits that show how the structure was built for defense.

Duke Leopold III authorised Hans von Starkenberg to build the fortress in 1380, three kilometres east of Zams. After the Starkenbergs' failed revolt against Duke Frederick IV, the castle passed to the sovereign in 1423, who installed his own judicial officials there, such as Vrban Sigwein in 1434. Archduke Sigismund pledged it in 1485 to Ruprecht von Rindsmaul, and Maximilian I redeemed it in 1502, granting it to his councillor Hans Fieger the Middle.

The site belongs to the Sisters of Mercy from Zams, who care for it as a place of prayer and pilgrimage. Visitors walking through the old walls will also find a small church that still draws people seeking a moment of faith.

The path to the ruins starts near the Kronburg Inn at the base of the hill, where parking is available. The trail is narrow and can be slippery in wet weather, so sturdy shoes with good grip are a good idea.

The castle's name appears as Kronburg in German sources but as Kronenberg in the 1380 founding permission, and the Ukrainian article calls it Kronenberh. The five-storey palas tapers upward and has carefully cut corner blocks; its Romanesque-looking portal leads into the inner courtyard.