Old Castle Valley

The County of Valley is first mentioned in 920 as being in the possession of a Count of Sempt. Since the first third of the 12th century, a hilltop castle on the Burgberg above the Mangfall served as a noble residence, of which only remnants of walls remain.

The Old Castle was built in the second half of the 12th century in the valley near the village of Unterdarching.

After several changes of ownership, Wilhelm IV von Maxlrain (born around 1590, died 1658) acquired the Hofmark Valley and founded the brewery that still exists today.

His heirs built the New Castle in 1740 in direct proximity to the old one. After a fire, it was later rebuilt in a modified form and today also houses the brewery.

Since the 19th century, the Hofmark and with it the New Castle have been in the possession of the Arco auf Valley noble family. In 1848, the sovereign powers over the Hofmark ceased, but as castle and landowners, the family still has great influence in the locality.

The Old Castle is the older part of the Valley castle complex. Until 1848, it served as a Pflegamt (administrative and judicial office) and courthouse for over 700 years. Its core dates back to the late 12th century. The imposing but currently urgently in need of renovation south gable was built around 1200. After the construction of the New Castle, it was preserved and further expanded from 1776 to 1778. After 1848, it served as an inn for more than 100 years. In 1895, parts were demolished.

From 1965 to 1971, the writer Michael Ende lived in the Old Castle and wrote his novel Momo, published in 1973 and filmed in 1986, here.

In 1987, Otto Arco auf Valley sold the vacant Old Castle to Sixtus Lampl, the district heritage curator of the Miesbach district and former senior conservator at the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation, and his wife Inge.

Today, the Old Castle and the neighboring Zollingerdach hall house the largest collection of its kind worldwide, with more than 60 organs. The six housed within the castle itself are all playable. Among them is the organ of the Basilica of Gößweinstein with 42 registers and 3000 pipes. The old organ of the Munich Frauenkirche and that of the Congress Hall of the Deutsches Museum are also housed here.

Schloß-Verlag-Valley (Castle Publishing House Valley) also has its headquarters in the building.