Schloss Klaus is a complex located in Upper Austria, whose origins date back to the 12th century, which today houses a recreation center for young Protestants and a home for education. The complex is located on a rocky spur in Steyrtal, at the foot of Mount Brennet, at the southernmost foothills of the Kremsmauer.
Schloss Klaus History
Initially Schloss Klaus was a fortress on the road from Talenge to Klaus on the Pyhrnbahn. The first documentary evidence dates back to 1175. After the Klaus kingdom was engaged in the Spital monastery in 1477, the celebrations came in 1512 in the possession of the Storch family.
1578 Ulrich von Storch built a castle directly under the existing fortress, which became baroque in 1758. In 1616-1618 Ludwig von Storch built a church with a cemetery and an attached apartment above the castle
In 1632, the family had to leave Austria for reasons of faith and move to Vach bei Fürth (Franconia). The Klaus kingdom was sold to the baron (from 1665 "Conte") Georg Siegmund von Salburg. In 1708 the property became the property of Count Franz Ludwig von Salburg. In 1742, Freiherr von Trenck, at the service of Archduchess Maria Teresa, placed his attention on Klaus. The Bavarian and French soldiers invaded Upper Austria and also conquered the Klaus fortress. Count Norbert Anton Oswald Salburg sold the possession of the Spital am Pyhrn monastery in 1760.
In 1809, the castle and the castle became the property of the Obderennsische Religionsfonds. The entire property with 574 hectares of forest was sold to the Berlin squire Sigismund von Treskow on December 13th 1940. Since the last owners could not live in the old castle, the basic conditions for the preservation of the historic building were no longer given . Immediately after the Second World War, the castle was used as a shelter for refugees. Since 1948, he has served for two years as a home for children under the care of the Caritas of the Diocese of Vienna.
In 1963 a lease was completed between Baroness Ursula von Sydow and her son Wilhelm von Sydow and the Protestant-ecclesiastical Missionary Community of Torchbearers under the direction of Peter Wiegand. The first renovations of the castle began, in which a few months later a center for young Protestants and an educational center opened.
Due to the great demand of guests, in 1983 it was decided to rebuild the castle ruins. Castle and Castle now offers two large meeting rooms and 150 guest beds and records about 20,000 overnight stays per year. In addition to the operation as a recreational center for young Christians and an educational house, it is now managed by Schloss Klaus under the name of Diakonie in the community (DIG), a deacon institution for people with disabilities in the region, as well as managing various mission and development projects .