Saldenburg Castle

Saldenburg Castle, also known as Waldlaterne or Saldenburg Palace, is one of the castles in the Dreiburgenland region and gave its name to the village of Saldenburg. The hilltop castle is visible from afar over hills and valleys.

The castle was built in the 14th century by the knight Heinrich Tuschl von Söldenau. As his wife fled, he received the popular mocking name "Knight Alone".

In 1388, Schweiker III. Tuschl sold the castle to the Bavarian dukes, who in 1389 sold it for 30,200 guilders to Ulrich den Ecker (Egger). In 1446, after the death of his father-in-law Peter von Egg, Count Heinrich von Ortenburg inherited the castle. In 1468, the castle came into the possession of Hans Gewolf von Degenberg through Elisabeth von Törring, Heinrich's second wife and widow. The Degenbergers retained the castle until 1587.

After further changes of ownership, the Counts of Preysing-Moos received it as an allod. Under them, the somewhat dilapidated castle was baroqueized in 1682 by Enrico Zuccalli, which is why it is also referred to as "Saldenburg Palace". In 1742, it was set on fire by the Pandurs.

The last Preysing at Saldenburg, Count Kaspar II, bequeathed the castle estate in 1826 to his godfather, Lieutenant and Chamber Junker Kaspar Freiherr von Berchem. In 1848, Saldenburg came into the possession of the Bavarian State. Since 1928, the castle has been owned by the German Youth Hostel Association, Bavarian regional branch e.V., which has operated a youth hostel in the entire building since that time.