Schloss Windern, Château in Desselbrunn, Austria

Schloss Windern in Desselbrunn consists of a nearly square central block with small square corner towers topped by steep pyramidal roofs. A high wall with two round towers encloses the four-tower castle, and a columned portal with flanking gate pillars marks the entrance. A covered passage links the main building to the Chapel of St. Nepomuk, and a curved outside staircase with a columned portal stands at the rear.

Windern is first documented in 1185, when Gerhoch von Viecht held it and gave it to Admont Abbey; by 1261 it had passed to Hedwig von Weng and Heinrich Aistersheimer. The Polheimers, owners from 1594, had the present castle built. A fire in 1817 and another in 1866 led to rebuilding, and the Gagern family, owners from 1888, worked to keep the building standing.

The name Windern appears as "Windarin" in a 1185 document, and from 1315 Ulrich von Windern was the first owner to take his title from the estate. The chapel, added by the Pochsteiner family in 1769, holds paintings by Bartolomeo Altomonte, three Rococo altars and its original furnishings; it was renovated in 1969.

Schloss Windern stands in the Windern hamlet of Desselbrunn, in the Vöcklabruck district of Upper Austria. It is a private residence owned since 2006 by Franziska Pranckh and Vikas Thapar, who began renovation work that year, so the interior is not open to visitors. The four-tower castle and its chapel can be viewed from the surrounding lane.

On the four corner turrets sit sheet-metal figures of the Evangelists, visible from the courtyard. A covered passage links the main building to the Chapel of St. Nepomuk, which holds three Rococo altars and paintings by Bartolomeo Altomonte dated 1769. The chapel was renovated in 1969.