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Scharnstein (1848-1976 Viechtwang) is a market town in Upper Austria in the district of Gmunden in the Traunviertel.

Culture and sights

    Scharnstein Castle Ruins: The castle was built in the first half of the 12th century. It once consisted of a tower foreland, an outer castle, a large storage vault and a main castle with a palace, chapel and keep.
    Scharnstein Castle: Scharnstein Castle dates back to 1538. There are two museums in the castle, the Austrian Criminal Museum and the Austrian Gendarmerie Museum, which show the history of Austrian justice and security from the late Middle Ages to the present. Wide space is devoted to the history of the gendarmerie system from 1849 to the present. In the Museum of Austrian Contemporary History the development of Austria in the 20th century is shown by means of objects and pictures.
    Catholic parish church Scharnstein hl. Berthold: The church was built according to plans by Hans Foschum.
    Catholic parish church Viechtwang hl. Johannes Evangelist
    Scythe Museum Geyerhammer: The open-air museum shows the transition from handicraft to industrial scythe production. Forging demonstrations with a hammer smith are held regularly.[3] The Scythe Trail is an economic-historical hiking trail with a length of 2.4 km. The Scythe Trail leads to production sites, homes and the mansions of the hammer lords ("black counts"). In order to feed the hard-working population, a special pastry was created. The Zwieballen, known only in the Almtal, was developed by an unknown master baker. Its name goes back to an old measure of the scythe smiths: two palms. The Zwieballen exists only in the Almtal.

Tourism
Scharnstein belongs to the Almtal tourism region, which was founded on January 1, 2013.