Helfenberg Castle (Ruin)

The origins of Helfenberg Castle are presumed to be in the 11th century. A first documented mention dates back to 1230, when Ulrich von Velburg transferred the complex to the Prince-Bishopric of Regensburg. Two years later, the castle became a fief of the Hohenfelser family, who later adopted the name Ehrenfelser. After 1370, Count Palatine Ruprecht I acquired the castle. During the War of the Landshut Succession, it suffered severe destruction by fire. In the Thirty Years' War, Helfenberg fell to Duke Maximilian of Bavaria in 1628, who gifted it to his commander Count Tilly in 1632. Between 1699 and 1707, Count Ferdinand Lorenz Xaver Tilly had it converted into a Baroque palace, with Hans Georg Asam contributing to its interior design.