Dießenstein Castle (Ruin)

The ruin Dießenstein was a medieval fortress and later a care court in the Duchy of Bavaria directly on the Ilz river in the Bavarian Forest. It is located in the present-day municipality of Saldenburg, in the district of Freyung-Grafenau.

The name of the castle complex is derived from the Middle High German word "dießen", which means "to rush", so the name means: "roaring, surrounded by rushing stone". Dießenstein is thus derived from the rushing Ilz river, as the spur castle is located directly above the river's largest rapids.

Dießenstein Castle was probably founded as early as the 12th century by the noblemen of Hals. This assumption is plausible, as a castle site at Dießenstein was already mentioned before its renewed construction.

In 1347, Schweiker II. Tuschl received the order to build the Dießenstein fortress. The construction site was extremely important for trade and traffic policy, as the two Ilz crossings at Dießensteinmühle and Furth-Rettenbach were located below the fortress, both of which belonged to an important trade route between the Bavarian Duchy and the Prince-Bishopric of Passau.

In 1347, Schweiker II, together with four other family members of the Tuschl, built the castle complex on Bavarian soil. However, this was either a reconstruction or a new building at a different location.

However, the Tuschl family found it difficult to supply the fortress, which led to high debts. Thus, the fortress was sold to the Frauenberger in 1378. They, in turn, shortly thereafter sold Dießenstein to the Bavarian dukes, who appointed caretakers in the castle and established the Diezzenstayn court. The fortress remained in the hands of the Bavarian dukes for almost 400 years, but lost importance and defensibility during this time.

In 1742, Dießenstein was besieged for several days by Pandur Colonel Baron Franz von der Trenck and his men as a result of the War of the Austrian Succession from 1740 to 1748. Dießenstein was defended by Baron von Schrenck. On July 18, 1742, the fortress was finally captured. During a patrol, von der Trenck accidentally ignited hidden powder kegs, killing several people in the subsequent explosion. Franz von der Trenck barely survived. In a fit of rage, he then had the castle complex completely razed.

Subsequently, parts of the castle chapel, the high altar, which is dedicated to Saint Achatius, as well as a carved figure of Brigid of Kildare, were brought to the parish church of Preying for temporary safekeeping. These can still be found in the church today.

In the following period, the fortress increasingly fell into disrepair. On December 12, 1799, the Pflegsgründe (care grounds) were auctioned, with the 125 3/8 Tagwerk yielding 9,643 guilders and 15 kreuzer. This was associated with the transformation of the Pflegsgericht (care court) into a Landgericht (district court). In September 1803, the Landgerichte Dießenstein and Bärnstein were merged to form the newly created Landgericht Schönberg. Dießenstein lost its legal status as an independent dominion in 1849 with the abolition of patrimonial jurisdiction.

In 1963, parts of the remaining free-standing building walls were renovated with funds from the government district of Lower Bavaria, the district of Grafenau, and the Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation. Further maintenance and renovation work followed in 1981. Today, the castle is privately owned, but still freely accessible to visitors. The ruin complex is easily accessible via the hiking trails Ilztalrunde-Nr. 83 and Ritter Tuschl auf den Fersen (from Saldenburg to Dießenstein).