Frauenstein Castle

Frauenstein is a castle in the municipality of Mining, district of Braunau am Inn, Upper Austria. A good way to reach Frauenstein is by bike from Braunau. The cycle path leads through the Unterer Inn nature reserve, and visitors can make the return journey on the Bavarian side, as the dam of the Frauenstein power plant is open to pedestrians and cyclists.

Its favorable location on the Inn river attracted people early on; in 1905, graves from the Celtic period were found during excavations. In Roman times, a watchtower was located here. The Inn was navigable for the Romans, and during this time, Frauenstein served as a landing place for Roman ships.

The castle was built by Gregor von Pogen during the Hungarian invasions in the 10th century. They were followed by the Counts of Ering, presumably a collateral line of the Pogener. From 1296 to 1377, the castle was pledged to the Counts of Hals. In 1400, the building was sold by Knight Heinrich Weckhinger to Knight Wilhelm von Fraunhofen, who had the castle rebuilt and renamed it Frauenstein. Wilhelm Fraunhofer was the Hofmeister of Duke Heinrich of Bavaria. In 1435, Duke Heinrich the Rich of Lower Bavaria and Landshut bought Frauenstein and united it with the lordship of Ering on the other bank of the Inn. The property was administered by princely stewards (e.g., Kaspar Peuntner). Since the castle was plundered and partially destroyed in the Lower Bavarian War of Succession, the Duke sold the castle in 1508 to the Paumgartner family, in whose possession it remained until 1885. From 1508 to 1519, the Paumgartners had parts of the castle rebuilt. In 1602, after the extinction of the Eringers, both properties were united. The Paumgartens were elevated to the rank of Freiherr in 1629 and appointed Imperial Counts in 1745. The burial site of the Paumgartens residing at Frauenstein is in the parish church of Mining. Since the Paumgartens mostly lived in Ering on the Bavarian side, Frauenstein Castle increasingly fell into disrepair. In 1807, the owners had part of the castle demolished (including the castle chapel) and built a manor house next to the granary, which now houses the castle tavern. Since 1883, the castle has been owned by the baronial family von Venningen auf Rigerting.

Originally, the castle stood on a rock above the Inn, but during the National Socialist rule over Austria from 1939 to 1942, the Ering-Frauenstein power plant was built, which dammed the Inn. This period also left its mark on the castle in other ways; in the following decades, it fell into increasing decay. In 1999, the "Lebenswertes Frauenstein" association leased the castle for 99 years from the Venningen family and revitalized and renovated it.