Location: Tyrol
Constructed: 12th century
Freundsberg Castle is a medieval citadel in the Tyrol region of Austria. It stands on top of a strategic hill at an elevation of 675 metres (2,215 feet) above sea level and 170 meters above the bottom of the Inn Valley below. Freundsberg Castle was built in 1150 by the lords of Freundsberg on a strategic hill. Its purpose was to control nearby netweork of trade routes and silver mines. Freundsberg Castle started with a central five storey keep that still dominates the citadel. Walls of the main guard tower still preserves some of the original Medieval frescoes and wall paintings. White chapel next to it was completed in 1117. After Freundsberg Castle was sold to Archduke Sigismund of Austria in 1467 it was renamed Sigismundruh in honor of his new owner, but after his death it was given its original name. In 1812 Freundsberg Castle became property of the municipality of Schwaz. In 1948 it was turned into a museum dedicated to regional history. Much of history of Schwaz and surrounding lands are intervined with the history of the silver mining industry that gave local residents it riches. Its restoration was caried out in 1966.