Fürstenstein Castle

In Bavaria's Dreiburgenland region, Fürstenstein Castle stands as a landmark. As one of the three namesake structures of the Dreiburgenland, it shapes the landscape of the Bavarian Forest.

The origins of Fürstenstein Castle are attributed to the Counts of Hals, who are believed to have built it around 1330 or 1332. Following its conquest by Heinrich the Natternberger, its administration passed to ducal stewards. The first documented mention occurred in 1366. In 1435, Bishop Leonhard of Passau acquired the complex, but the sale was reversed two years later. Artolf Schwarzensteiner had the castle expanded into a residence in 1570. After the Schwarzensteiner line died out, it passed to the Counts of Taufkirchen in 1617. During the Thirty Years' War, the castle was plundered by Swedish troops and devastated by Pandurs in 1744.