Königstein Castle

The Königstein ruin, also popularly known as Ecker G’schlössl, is a castle ruin in the municipality of Freinberg in Upper Austria, about 5 kilometers from the city of Passau.

The ruin is located on a hillside spur high above the valley of the Kösslbach, the Kößlgraben.

Königstein Castle is one of the few fortifications for which both the date of construction and the time of destruction are known. Its short history begins on Epiphany in 1410, from which, according to legend, the name Königstein is derived. Duke Johann of Holland-Straubing had the castle built in the immediate vicinity of the city of Passau to better control the trade routes into the city, possibly also for protection against the Hussites. Already in 1411, disputes arose between the Bishop of Passau and the Duke, which were settled by a truce agreement on July 20, 1411, in Neuburg. After the death of Duke Johann, Lower Bavaria was divided, and Ludwig the Bearded received the part of the Innviertel bordering the Diocese of Passau. Under the new owner, the fighting flared up again, and Königstein Castle became the starting point for raids into Passau territory. Bishop Leonhard of Passau obtained permission from Emperor Sigismund to demolish the castle. After an initially unsuccessful siege of Schärding, Königstein was captured by a Passau army on July 27, 1436, after a 7-day siege, destroyed, and - as stipulated in the Peace Treaty of Regensburg on July 29, 1436 - never rebuilt.