Lamberg Castle in Steyr in Upper Austria is situated on a high terrace above the confluence of the Steyr and Enns. It arose from the Styraburg, which gave its name to the city of Steyr and the federal state of Styria. Since the building was owned by the Counts of Lamberg from 1666 to 1938, their name was transferred to the castle.
The Styraburg, Stiraburg, Stirapurch, Styrapurg, Stirapurhc or Styrapurch was built at the beginning of the 10th century and was first mentioned in 985. It belonged to the Counts of Traungau (Otakare). 1078 Otakar II is first mentioned. In 1079 the Styraburg became his residence. In 1192 the castle passed to the Babenbergs and later to the Habsburgs due to the Georgenbergs’ hands.
Built at the crossing point of essential traffic routes and in a strategically favourable location, it was around 976 on the northern border of the Margraviate of Styria (from 1180 Duchy of Styria ) to the Mark of Austria. The Steyr River formed the border here. The areas north of the lower reaches (Steyrdorf) belonged to the March of Austria.
In addition to the castle, the area of the margraviate also included what later became the old town of Steyr and Ennsdorf, bordered to the north by the Ramingbach. The Styraburg only lost its border location when Ottokar II of Bohemia and Bela IV of Hungary signed a contract on April 3, 1254, shifting the northern border of the Duchy of Styria to today’s southern border of Upper Austria.
In 1666 the castle and its lordship came into the possession of the Counts of Lamberg. The complex was destroyed in a fire in 1727 and rebuilt by Johann Michael Prunner. Around 1750 the manor belonging to the castle was the most enormous in Upper Austria.
19th century
The castle was severely damaged during the Napoleonic Wars in 1800, 1805 and 1809. The Roman Tower received its current distinctive crenellated platform after the town fire in 1824.
After the February fighting in 1934, the stables of Schloss Lamberg were briefly used as a prison for around 800 prisoners, mostly members of the Schutzbund, due to the lack of other accommodations. On February 17, 1934, the trials against the insurgents began in the district court building on the town square.
In 1938 Vollrath Graf Lamberg sold Lamberg Castle and the extensive forest property in the Enns and Steyr valleys to the German Reich (Deutsche Reichsforste). In 1943, forced labourers from the Steyr-Münichholz concentration camp subcamp built an air raid shelter, which has housed a permanent exhibition entitled “Stollen of Remembrance” since 2015. After the Second World War, Lamberg Castle came into the possession of the Republic of Austria. The Austrian Federal Forests have managed Schloss Lamberg and the associated forests since 1961. On the occasion of Steyr’s 1000th anniversary in 1980, the castle has been restored since 1977. In 1980 it housed the state exhibition on the Hallstatt culture.
The premises of the police station and the Steyr City police command are currently housed in the castle. It is also used for cultural events, among other things. In 2014/2015, the fountain in the inner courtyard and the sculptures were restored. The castle courtyard was also redesigned on this occasion. At the Upper Austrian State Exhibition 2021, Lamberg Castle is one of the three exhibition houses alongside the Innerberger Stadel and the Steyr City Museum.
