To be privately owned
CastleWaldkirchen am Wesen
Wesen Castle
The Wesen castle ruin is a castle complex in the municipality of Waldkirchen am Wesen in Upper Austria. The castle is located high above the Danube, somewhat downstream from the market town of Wesenufer.
The Wesen castle ruin was probably built in the 12th century by the Lords of Wesen. The ancestor was a judge from Ort mentioned in 1100. His son Mangold was then enfeoffed with the castle and already called himself after the castle in 1116. The Weseners were ministeriales of the Passau bishops, and also owned Niederwesen Castle in Wesenufer. The last of this family was Erchanger von Wesen, who died on February 1, 1322, without legitimate offspring. After the Wesner family died out, the castle fell to Hadamar von Waldeck, who came from Waldeck Castle near Diersbach. The Waldeckers united the Wesen property with that of Einburg, today a district of Raab. Hadamar von Waldeck bequeathed Wesen Castle to the Prince-Bishopric of Passau in 1325 as an eternal spiritual endowment, i.e., as an eternal mass foundation for himself and his family. The castle was subsequently administered by Passau stewards, with the stewards Kaspar Albrechtshaimer and his son Pongraz also holding the castle as collateral in 1454 and 1457.
From 1540, the administration of the Waldecker property took place from Marsbach Castle, and Wesen Castle had also lost its significance as a Danube protection castle; all of this favored the decay of the castle. After the secularization of the Diocese of Passau in 1803, the ruin was sold.
Wesen Ruin Today+
The former outer bailey with the Zwinger has been destroyed by road construction, but the gatehouse, remains of the palas, and the walls that enclosed the castle courtyard can still be found. The mighty round tower has been dismantled down to its foundations. In front of the castle is a deep moat, which was formerly spanned by a drawbridge and is now spanned by a stone bridge.
Since 1960, the castle, which had fallen into ruin, has been renovated as a private residence, although not always according to monument preservation principles (e.g., parts of the fortifications have been restored with exposed concrete). The privately owned ruin has been partially restored, but can only be viewed from the outside.
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Source: Wikipedia · Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Image: http://www.wehrbauten.at/ooe/oberoesterreich.html
This description draws on the facts documented in the linked Wikipedia article; Wikipedia content is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Wording and editing: Mobile History.
Location: 48.4406, 13.8278