Friedberg Castle

The castle was probably built around 1230 during the time of the Andechs family. It was a princely possession and passed from Albert II of Tyrol (1248) and Count Gebhard of Hirschberg (1253) to Count Meinhard II of Tyrol (1263). Friedberg then consisted only of individual towers surrounded by a ring wall.

In 1297, three equally entitled nobles are mentioned: Otto de Turri, who was responsible for military matters, Heinrich von Aufenstein as the princely castle guardian, and Provost Ebhard, who collected taxes. It was not until 1410 that Heinrich Spieß was able to unite all offices. In 1489, the Lords of Spieß sold the dominion to Antony von Ross. When he went bankrupt in 1491, Friedberg was granted as a fief to Hans Fieger von Melans.

Immediately after the purchase of the already quite dilapidated castle, a generous renovation into a noble residence began, which lasted until 1509. Presumably, the military expansion of the castle was a condition imposed by the sovereign Maximilian I upon its allocation. The Fieger family held Friedberg until their extinction in 1802. During the Bavarian-Napoleonic era, it was confiscated by the treasury. In 1814, Victor Freiherr von der Lochau bought the castle. His widow passed it on to her nephew Johann Graf Trapp in 1845. He had an additional floor added to the residential buildings and all buildings covered with high hip roofs, which caused the old battlements to disappear. The castle thus largely changed its appearance. The interior was predominantly re-furnished in the Biedermeier style.

The Counts Trapp are still the owners of Friedberg today (since 1989 Gaudenz Graf Trapp).