Peuerbach Castle, Renaissance castle museum in Peuerbach, Austria

Peuerbach Castle stands on the main street in the centre of Peuerbach, Upper Austria. What remains of the former Renaissance palace are three two-storey wings with gabled roofs arranged in a horseshoe around a courtyard; at the eastern corner survives a small rectangular tower with an onion dome. The fourth wing was rebuilt in 2009 as a modern structure housing the Melodium cultural centre and the Peuerbach music school. The facades were remodelled around 1830.

The first castle was built in 1366 under Count Ulrich II of Schaunberg. In 1559 the Schaunberg line died out and the castle passed by inheritance to the children of Anna von Starhemberg. A fire on 7 September 1571 destroyed the castle with its library, archive and armoury, and the market of Peuerbach; Gundacker XI von Starhemberg had it rebuilt. In 1626, during the Upper Austrian Peasants' War, the market was stormed and the castle burned out.

The castle houses a farmers' war museum, chosen because the first battle of the Upper Austrian Peasants' War was fought outside the town gates. The building also served as the local elementary and secondary school from 1923 to 1966. In the 1970s a group campaigned in the municipal election with the demand "Das Schloss muss weg" to create parking spaces, but the plan for a castle museum prevailed.

The museum opens on specific weekends during certain months, so it is best to check opening times in advance. Plan enough time to walk through the rooms and see the collections at a relaxed pace.

The castle's tall tower, about 40 metres high and visible in old pictures, was demolished in 1777 after minor structural damage, on the order of the estate manager. Its site was where the missing rear cross wall joined the left wing. The fourth wing was only rebuilt in 2009, now housing the Melodium cultural centre and the Peuerbach music school.