Schloss Engelseck, building in Upper Austria, Austria
Schloss Engelseck is a two-story Renaissance building with a three-winged layout, its courtyard open to the front. The short side wings have Schopfwalm roofs, and a tall central tower rises above the main tract, topped by a surrounding platform with a false crenellation replacing an earlier onion dome. A crenellated wall with two round towers encloses the complex, and the outer facade features a round-arch frieze and imitation ashlar.
The site was already mentioned in the 13th century, though the exact construction date is unknown; the wealthy cloth merchant Hans Fuchsberger, mayor of Steyr in 1525 and 1526, is presumed to have built it. In 1641 Josef Achtmarkt von Achtmarktstein, mayor from 1642 to 1645, acquired the castle and had it rebuilt in Renaissance style. In 1642 he applied to Emperor Ferdinand III to rename it from Teufelseck to Engelseck; the old name came from the partly underground Teufelsbach stream. The city of Steyr has owned it since 1918.
The name Engelseck was granted in 1642 by Emperor Ferdinand III at the request of Josef Achtmarkt von Achtmarktstein, who had bought the estate in 1641; before that it was Teufelseck, after the Teufelsbach stream that runs partly underground. The building is listed by the Bundesdenkmalamt as "Schloss Engelsegg".
The castle sits on a terrace above the Steyr river and is surrounded by a park with mature trees that offers a viewing point from the round tower. The grounds are mainly visible from the outside, and visitors can best explore the building and its quiet surroundings by walking through the park.
The coat of arms on the south side of the courtyard bears the year 1766, while the west side shows 1617. The central tower's surrounding platform with a false crenellation replaced an earlier onion dome. The round tower on Redtenbachergasse has a projecting rondell with a view over the city of Steyr.
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