Pfarre Grünbach

Grünbach was first mentioned in 1270. It was one of the centres of the clearing of the open forest. Grünbach became an independent parish in 1308 and the church's predecessor was built around the middle of the 14th century. The parish church of Grünbach was expanded into a late Gothic hall church in 1511. The richly decorated south gate dates back to 1512, while the early Gothic chancel with its ribbed vault is much older. The tower has a Gothic wedge roof. The church is dedicated to St Nicholas.
History of the parish of Grünbach
The area of the lower Mühlviertel was still very sparsely populated until the 11th century. From then on, the forest was increasingly cleared and the land cultivated. The current parish area of Grünbach originally belonged to the parish of Lasberg. On 25 July 1261, Otto von Lonsdorf, Bishop of Passau, elevated the church of Grünbach (together with that of St. Oswald near Haslach) to a parish of its own under the patronage of St. Florian's Abbey. The following centuries remain largely in the shadows of history. Around 1600 it can be assumed that the population was predominantly Protestant. (The last Protestant died in 1674.) In terms of territory, Grünbach was one of the largest parishes in Upper Austria around 1700!
In 1704, Windhaag with the branch church of St Stephan was separated from the mother parish of Grünbach.
In 1742 the same happened to the east. The parish of Sandl was founded and separated from the parish of Grünbach.