Wesen Castle

The origins of Wesen Castle likely date back to the 12th century and are closely tied to the Lords of Wesen, who presumably built it. A judge from Ort, mentioned around 1100, is considered the ancestor of this family. His son Mangold was enfeoffed with the castle and named himself after it from 1116 onwards. The Lords of Wesen served as ministeriales to the Bishops of Passau and also owned the nearby Niederwesen Castle. With the death of Erchanger von Wesen in 1322, who left no direct descendants, the line died out. The castle then passed to Hadamar von Waldeck, who united the property with that of Einburg. In 1325, Hadamar bequeathed Wesen Castle to the Prince-Bishopric of Passau as a perpetual endowment for masses. The castle was administered by Passau stewards, including Kaspar Albrechtshaimer and his son Pongraz, who held it as collateral for a time. From 1540, the castle lost its strategic importance as a Danube defensive fortress, and administration increasingly shifted to Marsbach Castle, which contributed to the complex's decay. After the secularization of the Diocese of Passau in 1803, the ruin was finally sold.